


Through the Night

by SamJoinedtheReconCorps



Series: Avengers: Redemption [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Battle of New York (Marvel), Don't read if you haven't seen Endgame, F/M, Fighting, Illusions, M/M, Major spoiler, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Post-Canon Fix-It, Post-Endgame, Red Room (Marvel), Reunions, Search Parties, Stan Lee Cameo, Temporary Character Death, Tests, Thanos is a fucking dick, The Ten Rings (Marvel), Time Loop, Trials, Vormir, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-25
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2020-03-17 01:52:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 69,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18955519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SamJoinedtheReconCorps/pseuds/SamJoinedtheReconCorps
Summary: They've finally arrived on Vormir, and now its time to push themselves to the limit as they take on death itself. The dead have nothing to lose and everything to gain while they venture forth on a quest to earn their lives with their friends at their side. But will that be enough for them to succeed and conquer their demons?Or, part II of my attempt at fixing the heartbreaking shitshow that was Endgame. The Fix-It Fic that I need to heal my broken soul.





	1. Dusk

**Author's Note:**

> I'm baaaack! Took me a while to write this chapter to kick off this fic, but damn son am I excited to get through everything in arc! I love you all so much and I'm so happy to be able to take you through the next part of this journey!
> 
>  
> 
> Let's dive right in then! I really hope you guys like it!

“You have ten minutes.”

“Ten minutes? Ten minutes for what?” Steve asked in exasperation, still tense, his shield held up defensively as Red Skull drifted away from them, watching all of them warily from a dozen yards or so.

Nebula’s eyes narrowed as she watched Red Skull as everyone began talking amongst themselves, confusion and caution and suspicion warring in their words.

“We can’t trust him,” Bucky said firmly, his eyes on the wraith. His posture was stiff to the point of looking painful. “He’s a fucking monster, we can’t trust him.”

“He’s the keeper of the stone,” Clint countered. “I think he’s the only thing we  _ can _ trust about this place.” He was fiddling with the hilt of his katana. “He explained what we had to do when Nat and I came here - and we got the stone. He didn’t lie.”

“So,” Nebula finally spoke up, “What we need to do is split up. A search group for each of the three.”

“You’re right,” Stephen said. “We have ten minutes to separate into three teams, decide who’s looking for who.”

“That is  _ not _ what we should do,” Steve immediately diagreed. “The last thing we should do is split up. We’re on a planet we aren’t familiar with, going up against -” he motioned to Red Skull, waving his arm in the general direction of the place, “- who knows what else. If we stick together we can do this.”

“You’re one to talk about sticking together,” Stephen ground out. “We have to break into smaller parties. We play by the rules of this place,” Stephen said, before he lifted a shaky hand in Steve’s direction, “not yours, Captain Rogers.”

Steve opened his mouth to say something before he just snapped it shut, his expression a hard scowl. They stared each other down for a few seconds before Nebula rolled her eyes, breaking off from the group and going to stand by herself.

“Where are you going?” Rocket asked.

“I’m starting the group that’s going to be looking for my sister.” She turned cold eyes onto everyone else. “We’re wasting time. We have about five minutes left and we haven’t decided how the groups will be split. I doubt we trust this thing,” she jerked her head in Red Skull’s direction, “to decide them at random.”

There were nods of agreement before Rhodey and Clint both broke off at the same time heading to stand in different places.

“Nat’s party, with me,” Clint announced.

“Tony’s search and rescue, we’re over here,” Rhodey called out.

Without so much as a second’s hesitation, the Guardians all moved to stand by Nebula. Bruce and Wanda went over to Clint. Steve and Bucky exchanged a glance, a silent conversation held within those seconds of eye contact, before they joined Rhodey.

“Let’s go get her, Nick,” Maria said, walking past Fury towards Clint.

“Been a while since I’ve been out in the field,” Fury commented, falling into step beside Agent Hill. “Good thing I’m a fucking fast learner.”

Peter started heading towards Rhodey just as Stephen said, “Peter.”

“You’re not telling me I can’t go find Tony,” he instantly shot out, cutting him off before he could even think about sending him to wait in the ships.

Stephen gave him a wry smile. “I was going to say let’s go join Colonel Rhodes before they leave without us.”

“R-right,” Peter agreed, walking with Stephen to Tony’s rescue party and completely missing the steely glare between Stephen and Steve.

Sam broke that up, however, when he jogged over to Steve, giving him a pat on the back. “I’d join you, but I think I’m going to go help keep them in line,” he said, motioning towards Clint and Banner and the rest of their group.

Steve gave him a knowing look. “Don’t do anything stupid,” Steve finally smiled.

“I think Bucky can answer that for you,” Sam laughed.

Bucky rolled his eyes. “We’re taking all the stupid with us, punk. Sam’ll be fine.”

“Be safe, Sam,” Steve finished.

“You, too, Cap. Keep Spidey safe. Tony will kill us if anything happens to the kid,” Sam told them.

“Do you forget the way he took us down with his webs?” Bucky asked. He glanced over at Peter who was in his Iron Spider suit. “And now he’s got the newest suit Tony made for him?” Bucky grimaced. “You should be asked the kid to take care of us dinosaurs.”

Sam laughed at that, shaking his head, and gave them one last nod before he moved over to Clint’s group.

Thor and Loki, Hope and Scott, and T’Challa, Shuri, and Okoye were still debating what group they were going to join.

Shuri looked bored as T’Challa and Okoye came up with points and counterpoints for all the groups. She raised her hand, waiting a few beats before she waved it around and caught their attention.

“I told Peter’s Aunt that I would watch his back,” she said. “So I’m joining the group going after Tony Stark.” And with that, she turned around, heading right towards Peter and Doctor Strange.

T’Challa and Okoye could do nothing other than follow, knowing that when Shuri got something in her head, it was practically impossible for her to drop it.

Thor nudged Loki’s arm. “Best we join the Guardians and help find Gamora. Don’t want the others second guessing your intentions and focusing on you rather than on whatever we’ll face.”

Loki nodded at that, his eyebrows raised, seemingly impressed. “I’m glad you brought it up. I was sure you’d want to join your Doctor’s group and -” his eyes swept over the team that was going after Natasha, landing on Clint before quickly flitting away, “- I don’t think Barton would have been happy to have me near him.”

“Then, to the Guardians,” Thor said, turning towards Quill and Nebula.

“Wait - Thor!” Bruce called out, jogging over to the pair.

“Looks like you have to explain our choice to your doctor,” Loki commented as Bruce approached them.

“You two coming?” Bruce asked when he was standing in front of them.

“Oh, uh,” Thor began, shooting Loki a pleading look.

Taking pity on him, Loki sighed. “While we are fond - my brother, mostly - of the teamwork we share with you, I could be a,” he paused, the word tasting like lead, “liability.”

“But I know you’re on our side now,” Bruce said. “I know you’re a part of the team.”

Even though it was only a simple reminder, Loki found himself extremely grateful to hear that someone other than Thor believed in him. “That’s not enough though,” Loki continued, although it pained him to admit it out loud. He wasn’t enough. “You trust me, Thor trusts me, but no one else does. The Guardians have no reason to trust me or distrust me, and it seems our strengths would be put to work best with them.”

Bruce nodded, gaze dropping as his shoulders sagged a little. “That’s - yeah. Yeah, this is probably the best plan.” He gave them both an encouraging smile. “See you when this is all over?”

“Of course,” Thor promised.

“No more faking your death?” Bruce asked, his smile turning a little teasing now as he turned to Loki.

He rolled his eyes. “No promises, Doctor Banner.” Loki gave Bruce a tentative pat on the arm. “Good luck.”

Surprised at Loki’s friendly gesture, both Bruce and Thor exchanged one last look before they each headed to their respective groups.

“You’re not in charge here, buddy,” Quill quipped as soon as Thor joined their group.

“Neither are you,” Thor shot back with an easy grin.

Rocket smacked Quill’s leg with the butt of his gun. “We both know Nebula’s in charge here, you idiots.”

Hope and Scott could hear their little exchange as they looked the groups over one last time.

Finally, Sam called out, “Hope! Drag Tiny’s ass over here! We could use another couple people on this team to make them all even.”

“Well, you heard the man,” Hope shrugged, going over to Natasha’s search party with Scott a step behind her, grumbling about the Falcon and how now Spiderman had the Cap with him.

Seeing the groups finally made, Red Skull drifted back over to them. “Now, you will head towards the mountain. You shall be tried. You shall be tested. And if you succeed, you will recover the souls. And if you fail, you will leave empty handed.”

A golden fog started rising from the ground, spreading out all around them, obscuring the other groups. There were shouts and cries as it had startled everyone, but suddenly the only voices they could hear were those of their teammates. There was no trace of the others.

“Go forth. Stick together,” they heard faintly, the voice coming from the direction they’d seen the mountain. “Do not get lost. Because if you do -” The voice dropped to barely a whisper, drifting to them through the fog, “- you may just join the souls in the stone.”

* * *

 

They weren’t sure how much time had passed, but they knew that it had been at least over an hour since they’d lost contact with the other groups. Nebula kept tirelessly trekking forward, Groot and Mantis right behind her. Rocket and Quill were flanking the sides and Drax, Thor, and Loki were all keeping watch at the back of the group. There was tense silence, filled with only a few mild jabs and jokes. Even they didn’t feel like it was the time or place to fool around.

The fog made it look like the light from a sunset was filtering in, bathing everything gold. It would have been pretty, comforting even, in any other circumstance, but right now it just felt ominous, oppressive, and dangerous.

Which is why as soon as they heard a low groan, Quill jumped about a foot in the air.

“What was that?” Drax asked, too heavily focused on the sound to even make fun of Quill’s fright.

Everyone stopped moving, straining to listen, holding their breaths to not make a sound.

There was another groan, followed by some quiet cursing.

Nebula’s head whipped around, immediately making out the small shadow that was heavily obscured by the fog. She lifted her arm up, the machinery whirring and buzzing as the gun that was embedded in the metal lifted up. She put a finger to her lips, signalling for silence and then pointed at the shadow.

They all nodded, quietly gripping their weapons tighter. Mantis’ antennae started to glow, ready to subdue whatever was out there. They inched as silently as possible towards the sound.

There was movement from the shadow, a shaky intake of breath. “Who’s there?” it asked.

Nebula paused, turning to Thor who’s eyes had widened. He looked at her, the hope in his eyes changing to disbelief and back. They both recognized the voice, having spent so much time listening to that voice over the years that three months of silence could never erase from their minds.

Without meaning to, their steps quickened, forcing the rest of the group to move faster to catch up.

“Who’s there! Who’s out there?” the voice asked again, sounding shaken and uncertain and almost scared.

Nebula broke through the fog first, just as the shadow scrambled to their feet. “Fuck,” Nebula got out, her throat suddenly constricting under the sudden emotion she felt as she took him in. “ _ Fuck _ , Tony.” She reached out without hesitation and pulled him into a tight hug.

* * *

 

The hug was solid,  _ real _ no foreboding feeling that she was going to disappear in a second, and as the rest of the Guardians and Thor and - and Loki? - filtering in through the fog, he decided too much shit was going on, too, too much was happening. He could ask questions after this.

Tony returned the hug, wrapping his arms around Nebula, his unlikeliest ally turned close friend, who was once again helping him in the cruel and vast expanse of space.


	2. Trekking through Twilight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last minute additions are made as they head to the lonely mountain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soooooo yeeeaaah here's chapter 2 y'all! I don't really have much to say besides I'm fucking pumped and excited and this is deadass my second fic I put up today because I posted a super quick one shot for Critical Role like an hour ago and I am D E A D but lovelies and darlings, I wasn't going to leave you all hanging!
> 
> Hope you guys like it!

“Something’s here,” Peter whispered, eyes scanning the fog quickly.

Okoye stopped, following Peter’s line of sight. “How do you know?”

Peter’s eyebrows knit together as he tried to come up with an explanation while still focusing on the gut instinct he had. “I can just feel it.”

Bucky shifted his stance, a finger beside the trigger of his rifle, his other hand gripping the barrel tightly. “We’re being watched.”

* * *

 

“How much longer do you think it’ll be til we get there?” Scott asked. “I don’t know about you guys, but my legs are starting to give out.”

“Already tired, Lang?” Wanda tossed over her shoulder from where she was walking up front with Clint and Bruce.

“Maybe his knees are weak because he’s scared,” Sam joked.

“I’m not scared!” Scott denied. “Just thinking that a breather’s not a bad idea. We should try to stay in our best shape for when we get there.”

He could hear Hope’s voice getting closer before she flit past him, “So time for a break?” She settled her tiny self on his shoulder, her wings retracting.

Scott glanced down at her, huffing out, “Not everyone has wings that keep us from getting all tired from walking.”

“Sam’s got wings,” Hope pointed out.

“Sounds like it's time for you to get an upgrade,” Sam shrugged. “You see anything up front?” Sam asked, now turning his attention to Hope.

“Just more fog,” Hope answered. “But then again, I didn’t get too far ahead. Couldn’t risk losing where you guys were.”

“Thanks for heading up to scout,” Clint said from up at the front of the group. “And even though you didn’t see anything, that’s still information we can use.”

“It’s not reassuring though, that’s for sure,” Maria commented. Her hand still hovered over her gun. “The quiet’s making me uneasy.”

“You’re telling me,” Fury grumbled. “We’re basically sitting ducks out here.”

Everything remained quiet around them as they continued trying to fill in the silence by talking to each other, shuffling towards where they had seen the mountain was last.

“I think I’ll go look a little ahead again,” Hope began after a while, getting to her feet on Scott’s shoulder.

“Don’t go too far, please,” Scott said quietly.

Hope gave him a soft smile before she clicked her helmet back on. “I’ll stick close enough around so that I can still see your shadows.” Her wings spread out from her back. “Who knows, maybe I’ll even -”

She was cut off as she was thrown in the air when Scott was suddenly tumbling to the ground. Hope caught herself, her wings immediately starting to vibrate to right her as she flew through the air.

“Oh, fuck this,” Fury exclaimed from somewhere behind her. 

Finally steadying herself, Hope caught sight of Scott rolling on the ground as someone tried to grapple him before he clicked on his helmet. Hope immediately darted in their direction as Scott shrunk, leaving Hope an opening. She grew to her normal size, throwing a hard punch at who had tackled Scott.

The person - a woman - was only dazed for a second before she tried to grab Hope, who quickly shrunk as well.

Jumping to her feet and finding neither Scott or Hope, the woman instead charged Maria and Fury, kicking Maria’s gun out of her hands as she pulled it out and throwing herself at Fury, head bent as she tucked in behind her shoulder to drive it into his stomach.

He doubled over, falling back as the wind was knocked out of him.

Hope appeared again, flying low to try and sweep the woman’s legs out from under her.

The woman jumped over her, rolling to her feet just as Scott grew right in front of her and tackled her.

She kicked him off quickly, scrambling forward to get her hands on him when an arrow that flew alarmingly close to her face broke her concentration for a second before she felt herself freeze, her arms suddenly pulled to her sides and held there. She was surrounded by red, and she snarled as she kicked out, trying to break free.

“Don’t give me a reason to crush you,” Wanda said as she slowly approached the woman, Clint at her side with another arrow ready to fly.

* * *

 

“How are you here? How did you find me?” Tony asked as soon as Nebula pulled away.

Nebula blinked rapidly, trying to dispel her tears, not trusting her voice yet.

Rocket noticed and decided to answer Tony’s question to give her more time. “This is how we get you out. The keeper of the stone or whoever the fuck he was sent us on a quest to find you guys.” He motioned to the rest of the group. “Had us split up and everything.”

“We weren’t expecting to find you,” Nebula finally said. “We were the ones that were looking for Gamora.”

Thor moved closer then, clapping a hand to Tony’s shoulder and almost sending him to the ground. “It’s good to see you, Tony.”

Tony smiled, patting Thor’s arm as a show of affection and as a subtle way to stay on his feet. “Same goes to you, big guy.” He then looked around at the others. “Guess there’s no plan here again is there? Nothing more than that plucky attitude you all have?”

“I already told you, we don’t know what that means,” Quill answered, sounding exasperated. “We’ll just handle shit, get you out of here, get Gamora, and get out with everyone else. That’s all the plan we need.”

Despite how frustrating and anxiety inducing it had been five years ago to hear that they didn’t have much of a plan, right now it sounded like music to his ears. He couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s damn good to have all of you here. Honestly.” His smile slipped a little. “We didn’t really get to see much of each other during that last fight against Thanos did we?”

“That’s right. You died shortly after we returned,” Drax nodded as he said matter-of-factly.

Tony flinched, and Groot smacked Drax with a pointed, “I am Groot.”

“But that is what happened,” Drax argued.

“I am Groot,” Groot repeated in that same tone.

“You are right, that was insensitive,” Mantis scolded. She approached Tony cautiously, laying a gentle hand on his. “We are so happy to find you.” She then shot Drax a glare, “He is anxious.”

“No, I-I’m fine,” Tony denied, shaking his head. “I’m fine. Just happy you guys found me, too.” He then noticed Mantis’ hand still over his. “Gamora told me you were an empath.”

Mantis smiled. “Gamora told you about me?”

He nodded. “She told me about all of you,” Tony said, glad to change the subject, feeling some of the edge of his anxiety drain as they moved away from the topic.

Then his attention was brought back to the person hanging out at the back, almost hiding away from him. Tony had thought he was a part of his imagination, but seeing that everyone was real, that everyone had apparently come to find them, Tony knew he was actually there too.

“Thor is that -” he began, just as Loki hesitantly stepped forward.

“Anthony Stark,” Loki said, inclining his head just slightly in greeting.

“Yeah, he’s,” Thor shrugged, seeming as casual as if he were just commenting on a new coworker. “He’s alive.”

* * *

 

She struggled against the red energy, eyes flashing dangerously, the silver markings on her face looking severe and deadly against her green skin. “Let me go,” she growled.

“I don’t think so,” Wanda answered, hands glowing as she held them out in front of her.

Clint circled around the woman, an arrow still notched and aiming straight at her. “Not after that shit you pulled.”

The woman stared at him, her fierce expression turning into one of vague recognition before she exclaimed, “You’re Barton! Clint Barton!”

“Yeah, and what of it?” Clint said, his arms tense as he watched her.

“You’re the Avengers! You’re the man that was running towards Natasha,” Gamora got out.

That made Clint lower his arrow slightly just as Bruce asked, “You know Nat?”

Fury cursed under his breath from where he’d pulled himself into a sitting position. “Of course she knows Romanoff. I don’t know how we didn’t recognize her, given she’s  _ literally _ green - that’s Gamora.”

Gamora glanced over at Fury, not able to completely hide her surprise that he knew who she was. “I don’t know who you are. How do you know my name?’

“We’re on this planet, on some crazy rescue mission, after having flown alongside the Guardians of the Galaxy - of course we know your name.” Fury finally got up, nodding towards Wanda who dropped her arms and released Gamora. “The only reason I know what you look like though is because I met a different version of yourself.”

“Tony told me about that,” Gamora recalled, rolling her shoulders to rid herself of the weird sensation of being held in place. “But why isn’t Nebula or - or Peter here. Why is it you guys?”

Clint shook his head as he tucked his bow and arrow away. “Beats me. We’re the group that’s looking for Nat.”

“Looks like we’ve got an unlikely addition to our party then, doesn’t it?” Maria shrugged. “I don’t think this changes things.” She pulled out a small dagger she had in her boot, holding the hilt out to Gamora. “You managed to disarm me and knock down Fury all in one go without a weapon. I can only imagine how lethal you’ll be with one.”

“Whoa, wait, should we be giving her one of those?” Scott asked, just as Hope landed beside him, both of them at normal size. “You said it yourself - she kicked our ass without anything.”

“Almost kicked our ass,” Hope corrected.

“She’s one of the people we’re here to rescue,” Sam said, knocking his shoulder against Scott’s. “Stop being so scared.”

“I’m not scared!” Scott started, and as he and Sam started bickering, Clint held out a hand to Gamora.

Gamora finished clipping the dagger’s sheath to her belt before she turned wary eyes to Clint. She took his hand, feeling a hint of deja vu as she remembered taking Doctor Strange’s hand not so long ago.

“We’re going to get out of here,” Clint promised.

“Oh, don’t worry,” Gamora said, managing to crack a smile. “We either get out of here or I’ll die trying.”

* * *

 

They had kept walking, tense, careful, and paranoid, for what felt like hours. Bucky’s expression was guarded, his eyes scanning all around them. Okoye kept her spear out and at the ready. Stephen and Steve were keeping watch on the sides, with T’Challa and Rhodey leading the way. Shuri and Peter, having been outvoted, were at the center of their little group.

Being at the center didn’t mean Peter was any less on edge, and it had finally become too much. As soon as he saw an opening, he darted out between Steve and Bucky, quickly stepping into the fog.

“Who’s there?” he asked loudly.

“Hey, Queens -”

“Get back here,” Both Steve and Bucky exclaimed as they made a swipe to grab him.

Peter dodged, his instincts urging him to keep going. “I’m Peter - Peter Parker. We’re here to find our friends!”

“Shhh!” Rhodey scolded. “We don’t want to attract any attention.”

“That’s Colonel Rhodes,” Peter continued, pointing over to where Rhodey was standing. “And those two right there are Sergeant Barnes and Captain Rogers, and that’s -”

“Enough, Peter,” Stephen said firmly, grabbing his arm and pulling him back towards them. “We know something’s out here and we really shouldn’t -”

“This is Doctor Strange,” he kept going, stubbornly continuing through their party. “And that’s King T’Challa and General Okoye and Princess Shuri. We’re just here to find out friends, that’s all we want!”

“Parker, this is not how you engage with something you don’t know,” Okoye frowned, tapping the butt of her spear on the ground as she grew even more tense. “We don’t know if it is that wraith or something else out in the fog, something, something -”

“Something like a friend?” a new voice said.

They all paused, watching a shadow grow closer and closer until a familiar blonde, with her redhead roots starting to come through, stood in front of them. “Thanks for helping me figure out that you were actually real, Peter.”

“You’re welcome, Miss Natasha,” Peter answered, looking almost proud of himself.

Natasha then shrugged a little sheepishly. “Sorry I’ve been following you guys for a while without saying anything. I just didn’t now if you were really here or not and I didn’t want another disappointment after earli-”

She was suddenly cut off as she was lifted into a crushing hug.

“Dammit, Nat, I missed you,” Steve said quietly, the tremors in his voice betraying how close to tears he was.

“I missed you, too, Steve,” she admitted, hugging him back.

He set her down, wiping at his unshed tears before they had a chance to fall. “So you’ve been following this whole time?”

“Mhm,” Natasha hummed, walking through the group, giving small hugs to everyone, even to Stephen Strange, and ruffling Peter’s hair. She would never admit it, but she just needed to touch them, to have that physical reminder that they were actually, really there. That she wasn’t alone on the planet again.

“So you’ve been hearing everything?” Rhodey asked.

“More or less,” Natasha shrugged as she stood beside Okoye. “You can all fill in the gaps for me as we keep moving.” She turned around, starting to lead, her back to them ensuring that they didn’t see the brief flit of panic on her features as they moved towards their inevitable destination. “Let’s go to that mountain.”

* * *

 

“I don’t know why I thought this would take longer,” Sam admitted as they approached the now looming mountain.

“Different rules,” Clint said as a means of an explanation at the same time Gamora answered, “You needed to find me before you found this place.”

“That seems about right,” Bruce nodded. He pulled his glasses off, tucking them into his shirt pocket. “So, we just go up to it right? No climbing?”

“Just go up to it,” Gamora agreed, though she sounded uneasy. A part of her told her there was no need to climb, but she didn’t know why.

“We’re right behind you,” Scott said encouragingly.

“Right,” Gamora breathed, stepping close enough that she could see the weathered nature of the rock, smooth in some places and jagged in others.

Wanda’s hands lit up with red, everyone else readying their weapons as well. Hope and Scott both clicked their helmets back on, and Hope also pulled out her wings as did Sam.

Gamora closed her eyes, willing away the thoughts of the last time she had been in this spot, and touched the stone.

* * *

 

“We’re climbing to the top?” Steve asked.

“That’s what I did last time,” Natasha shrugged, trying to be nonchalant. All her years of being a spy were surely paying off since they were all none the wiser of her increasing anxiety. “I’ll lead, so just stay close behind,” she said, reaching out and grabbing the first firm handhold she could find.

* * *

 

Tony stared up at the imposing mountain, breathing in through his nose and out through his mouth. In, out, in, out - he just needed to calm his ridiculously fast heart beat.

“Scared, Stark?” Loki questioned, looking almost a little worried.

“Of course I’m scared,” Tony snapped. He felt guilty as he saw the way Loki recoiled and dropped his gaze. Tony swallowed hard. “Sorry, I’m -” he rubbed at the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes. “Yeah, I’m scared.”

“I am Groot,” Groot said, looking at Thor.

“Yes, I assure you he is the reason you’re all back. If it wasn’t for his brain or his courage we wouldn’t be standing here,” Thor told them.

Rocket tugged on Tony’s pants’ leg. “Don’t listen to Groot, he’s just a little nervous, too.”

Even though he felt his heart was about to pound it's way out of his chest, Tony let out a short laugh. “I don’t even know what he said.”

“Good,” Rocket sighed. “Now, c’mon Iron Man. We’re all here no matter what.”

“Yeah, alright,” Tony nodded, squaring his shoulders. He closed his eyes as he took a deep breath, thinking of Morgan, of Pepper, of Harley - all waiting for him back home. He thought of Peter, somewhere on this planet looking for him. He opened his eyes on the exhale, marching right up to the base of the mountain, and, before he lost his nerve, he reached out, intending to climb it.

As soon as his skin made contact with it, he felt as if he’d been cut off from everything and everyone, and spiraled into darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo what'd you guys think? A few last minute additions as the lost souls help the teams free each other up? A teensie twist because I mean I couldn't just sideline Tony, Natasha, and Gamora, where's the fun in that
> 
> Hope you guys liked it! See you soon!


	3. Nightfall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone finds themselves in startling circumstances.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're hitting the ground running from here on out, so let's hope everyone can keep up shall we?
> 
>  
> 
> I really hope you guys like it! This is a bit of a shorter chapter but that's because after this things pick up the pace with a quickness, so I had to leave it at this for now!

_ “One with no power to change their past. One with no space to make their own decisions. One with no time to save everyone. This is what you must face.” _

* * *

 

“We met once, you know.”

The voice was familiar, but - but it’d been a long, long time since he’d last heard it.

Tony blinked, getting used to the low light, the low light that haunted so many of his nightmares. The low light that saw the birth of Iron Man.

“At a technical conference in Bern.”

“Don’t remember,” Tony answered, the words almost pulled from his lips. He was glancing around slowly, his anxiety palatable but almost seeming muted. He couldn’t believe where he was. He didn’t want to believe where he was.

“Oh, you wouldn’t,” the man said with a light laugh. “If I had been that drunk, I wouldn’t have been able to stand, much less give a lecture on, ah, integrated circuits.”

“Where are we?” Tony asked, finally looking up. He felt his chest shudder as a sob started to escape him at the sight of the man who had saved his life. The man who’s small act of charity had rippled out and become the wave that saved the universe.

“Yeah, pal, where the hell are we?” Rocket growled from somewhere in the dark cave.

* * *

 

Natasha woke up as they withdrew the needle from her arm.

“She seems to have responded favorably to the psychedelic. Mark that down on her report.”

The voice sounded muffled, and as Natasha tried to move her head she found that she was restrained, the tight leather band around her forehead keeping her looking up at the too bright lights. She tried her arms, then her legs, finding similar bands lashing them in place. Wiggling around brought the last band that was around her abdomen to her attention.

“Where am I?” Natasha rasped, her voice breaking over her incredibly dry throat.

“Speaking already, that’s a good sign,” the voice continued, sounding clearer this time. There was a shadow before a face came into focus, the high bun and collar of her lab coat the only things that seemed important to Natasha. “Well,  _ ptitsa _ , we have just finished testing our latest memory altering drug on you. You were able to live out almost two decades worth of a lifetime in twenty minutes. All right,” the woman touched Natasha’s forehead, “here.”

Natasha shook her head. “I don’t understand - I don’t - where am I? What’s happening? Where are my friends?”

The woman laughed, managing to sound amused yet disappointed. “Oh,  _ ptitsa _ , this really is a strong drug, isn’t it? Even our best was led to believe that what she experienced was real.”

“It was real,” Natasha said. She pulled at her restraints. “Where are my friends?  _ Where am I?” _

“You are at the Academy,” the woman informed her. “As you have always been.” She tapped her finger on Natasha’s forehead again. “We need to work on your mental prowess,  _ ptitsa _ . We need to ensure that even this drug isn’t enough to incapacitate you.”

“No - no, I’m - I’m on Vormir, I’m not here, I’m -”

“That was a stretch of the imagination, wasn’t it?” the woman smiled. “An alien planet. We were just testing to see how far we could take things before it started to unravel at the seams, but it is clear we can do much, much more with this toxin than we anticipated.”

“I-I’m dead,” Natasha finally stuttered out, the words caught in her throat as tears sprang to her eyes.

“Oh,  _ ptitsa _ ,” the woman said again, her tone sounding almost like she cared. She ran a hand through Natasha’s hair and Natasha could see her natural red hair as the woman carded her fingers through it. No hint of blonde anywhere.  “You’re not dead,” she crooned. “But many are dead because of you.” Her smile turned severe, her eyes losing their shine and making Natasha’s skin crawl. “However, you will wish you were dead if you do not fall into line quickly.” The woman straightened, checking a few last things on her clipboard before moving out of Natasha’s line of sight. “Make sure she stays put until the Madame comes by.”

Natasha felt her blood run cold as a single tear escaped the corner of her eye, rolling down to disappear into her hair.

“If she struggles, subdue her,” the woman finished.

There was a huff of breath that was the only signal that the order had been understood, and as Natasha heard the door open, she pulled herself up as much as she could. She dropped back down with a muffled whimper as she saw who was standing in front of the door.

As the door clicked shut, Natasha tried to desperately hold onto her reality - the reality, the only reality because what she had lived through  _ was _ real. She tried to hold onto Clint and Bruce and Thor, who were looking for her, Tony, who had been with her, Steve, who had found her, Bucky -

Her breaths came quicker and shallower as she squeezed her eyes shut. Bucky, who was standing right in front of her door, blocking her escape. Bucky, who had glanced at her with no recognition in his cold, steely gaze. Bucky, who was the Winter Soldier.

* * *

 

“You will head to the fourth quadrant and take out the Laenalaeven sentinels with the group of fighters I have provided. Inform us when that mission is complete and then my ship will follow suit. Do not fail me now, my children.”

“Yes, Father,” Nebula answered, bowing low before the throne.

Gamora looked around in confusion, her heart suddenly jackhammering in her throat as her stomach turned into knots, recognizing where she was in a second. Even if she hadn’t realized where they were, his voice would have been enough. It haunted her in life and now seemed to be haunting her in death as well.

“Thanos,” she breathed, trying to keep her voice level, steady. Trying to hide her terror.

The Mad Titan turned calculating eyes on her. “Yes, Gamora?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How's that for a twist? Poor stone souls, this isn't going to be easy at all. We're all in for a wild ride.
> 
>  
> 
> I hope you guys liked it! You know I'm always excited to hear your thoughts and comments, so drop by and leave a couple words! Love you guys and see you soon!


	4. The Darkness of Space

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gamora has to deal with the space she's been forced into.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeyyyy
> 
> sorry about the last chapter and the cliffhanger I left it at, but all will make sense as the story progresses I promise! Get ready tho, time to buckle in and dive right into the thick of things!
> 
> I hope you guys like it!

Gamora stood rooted to the spot, her mouth opening and shutting as she tried to find her voice. “How are you here?” she finally got out. “How are you still alive?”

He raised a brow at her. “By sheer power of will,” he answered. He eyed her curiously. “Why the odd question, daughter? Why does surprise color your voice?”

“You shouldn’t be alive, you - you should be dead,” Gamora said, louder this time.

Thanos stood, towering over them on the raised platform. “Dead?”

“Stark told me your head rolled! He told me you were reduced to ash and dust!” She shouted.

His eyes narrowed. “Stark,” he spat out. “Who is this  _ Stark _ ?”

“He is the Titanslayer,” she growled, her hand flying to the dagger at her belt. “But don’t think I won’t hesitate to -”

The point of a blade at her throat cut her off. She could feel a trickle of blood run down her neck as it nicked her skin. Out of the corner of her eye she could see that it was Nebula that was holding the knife.

“I can kill her now, Father, for disrespecting you. For speaking out of turn and lashing out deliriously,” Nebula said, a hint of satisfaction in her voice.

Thanos stepped down slowly, raising an arm. “You have said it yourself, Nebula. She is delirious.” He came to stand in front of them, grabbing a hold of Gamora’s chin as Nebula resheathed her blade and stepped back cautiously. He turned Gamora’s head one way, then another. “Are you ill?”

“N-no,” Gamora bit out, having to fight back a shudder. Feeling his touch made her skin crawl.

“Then why,” his grip on her chin tightened, “did you speak out like that? Who is Stark?”

Although she wanted to shrink away, from him and from her racing thoughts, she forced herself to meet his gaze, willing her voice to remain steady as she quickly came up with an excuse that would keep her alive. “I was remembering a nightmare.”

“Oh, child,” Thanos tutted. “We both know that I have taught you all you know, and I do not lie. So why try something you are terrible at?”

Gamora clenched her fists at her side, before settling on a half truth. “Stark was a man who seeked to kill you. He is dead now.”

“That doesn’t explain your outburst,” he pressed.

“There has been a lot going on, F-father,” she added, the word feeling like sandpaper on her tongue. “A lot crowds my mind.”

He stared her down, eyes searching her face before he released her. “The trip to Laenala will give you enough time to clear your mind,” he said as he turned around and climbed up the steps to his throne.

“But Father, she is clearly not -” Nebula began.

“I have given my orders. Would you like to be the one punished for speaking out of turn?” Thanos warned, eyes flashing. His patience was growing thin.

“Of course not, Father,” Nebula bowed again, straightening quickly and then leaving the room.

“Now go. Finish the last preparations of the ship docked on the lowest level. Your crew is already on board and merely waiting for your arrival and further orders from you. Succeed as you always do and your little,” he looked down at Gamora, and what little warmth his eyes still held disappeared. “...outburst will be forgotten.”

“Yes, Father,” Gamora said, not bothering to bow. She’d never done it and she wasn’t going to start now. She never turned her back to him as she made her way towards the door, and only finally turned around and ran away once it had shut between them.

* * *

 

It didn’t take long for Gamora to wind down at the ship, the path coming to her naturally even after having been away for years. She didn’t know what the hell was going on, why the hell she was back on the ship or why Thanos was still alive, but at least the ship was a means to escape from whatever this was. She was never going to listen to him again.

All it took was a quick nod at the guards near the ship before she was on board, itching to just get the ship out in space. She had just gotten to the control console when voices and shuffling could be heard from deeper inside.

Gamora cursed. How could she have forgotten that Nebula  _ and _ a group of fighters Thanos had sent were on board. Slowly, so as to make as little noise as possible, Gamora started sneaking towards the chatter.

She peeked her head around the corner, catching sight of a sword and the corner of a black trench coat as the group paced around, agitation clear in their words. Now that she was close enough, she could make out parts of what they were saying.

“- Hope said -”

“- out scouting -”

“- get out of here -”

“- need to find Gamora -”

A light tap on Gamora’s shoulder made her draw her dagger at lightning speed, holding it up to the man’s throat.

“It’s me, it’s me,” he said, his helmet suddenly disappearing with a click and revealing Scott who glanced down anxiously at her knife. “Gamora, it’s Scott.”

“Someone’s going to run you through for just popping in like that one of these days,” Hope commented as she appeared seemingly out of thin air beside them, making Gamora quickly bring her blade back up before she relaxed again.

“Stop doing that,” Gamora scolded, sounding annoyed but feeling relieved that they were there. “I could have killed you.”

“Sorry about that, just had to go along and check out the ship,” Scott explained. “When our group all showed up here we didn’t know what was going on, so Hope and I decided -”

“You’re all here?” Gamora interrupted, her relief increasing exponentially. “You’re all on the ship?”

Hope nodded. “Everyone but you, and we’re really glad you’re here because we don’t know where we are.” She looked around, as if check if there were other people, before she motioned towards the room that Gamora had been looking into. “They’re probably worried we haven’t come back by now.”

As soon as they stepped through there was a quick sigh of relief before everyone started asking Gamora questions.

“Where were you?”

“What the fuck is going on?”

“Are we in space?”

Gamora ignored all of them, deciding those were all questions she could answer while they were anywhere other than docked on Thanos ship, and turned to Clint. “We have to go. Now.”

Before she could step out the way she’d come, Clint grabbed her arm. “Wait, why?”

She first looked down at the hand on her, then glanced up at Clint, shooting him a venomous glare.

“Sorry,” Clint quickly got out, letting her go. “I just - Gamora, you almost seem scared. Where are we - what are we up against?”

“Thanos is here,” was all the explanation she gave them. “So we have leave.” She stepped out, feeling their wide-eyed stares bore into her back as they fell into silence and she went toward the control console.

“Wait - Thanos -  _ Thanos _ is  _ here _ !” Bruce exclaimed. “Thanos is  _ alive _ ?”

Gamora paused midstep, swallowing hard before she could trust her voice. “Yes,” she said, quietly, almost soundlessly.

That made everyone erupt into questions all over again.

“But Tony killed him how is that possible?”

“He died twice don’t forget Thor decapitated him -”

“Why is he alive -”

“I don’t know!” Gamora screamed, whirling around. “I don’t know why he’s alive! I don’t know why we’re here! All I know is we have to leave,  _ now _ , or he’ll kill us!” Her hands were shaking. “We just need to focus on leaving.”

“Won’t he notice us escaping?” Maria asked cautiously.

She shook her head. “He - he gave me a mission to go to the fourth quadrant. Destroy some Laenalaven sentinels.”

“He gave you a mission?” Wanda’s tone was clipped, measured. She’d been there before.

Gamora nodded, her eyes stubbornly on the ground. “So I’m going to use the excuse to just run away and get us out of here.” She started turning around, wanting nothing more than to get the ship off Thanos’ gargantuan station.

“What if this is the test?” Clint spoke up.

“The test?” Gamora repeated. Her eyes were wary when she met his.

“Yeah, the - the keeper of the Stone said we’d be tested. Trials or something that would prove our worth and let us take you home.” He clasped his hands together, looking around the ship. “What if this is the test. Maybe that’s why we were sent here.”

Even though it made sense, that didn’t stop the sinking feeling in Gamora’s stomach. Once again she felt the tiny space she’d carved out to make her own decisions had been dashed to bits as the obviousness of the test became clear. “And the test would be…” she trailed off, not wanting to say it herself.

Clint pointed towards where he knew the exit to get onto the station would be. “To kill Thanos.”

Silence fell over the group before there was a loud scoff from behind them. “I knew you were weak deep down, but I didn’t know you were a traitor.”

Nebula.

* * *

 

The fight against Nebula had been quicker than Gamora had expected, but then again, the group Gamora was a part of was full of elite fighters. It wasn’t long before Nebula was tied up and stuffed in a cramped storage closet.

“Will that hold her?” Sam asked doubtfully.

“Not long,” Gamora confirmed. She’d pulled up the blueprints and schematics of Thanos’ station. “We’re here,” she said, highlighting the lower docks. “And he was here when I spoke to him, and he’ll probably still be there since that’s his throne room.” The corresponding room lit up, on the western side of the ship, about a dozen or so levels up.

“We’d have to go through the whole ship,” Bruce realized once they saw that they were virtually on two different corners of the map. “We won’t even have a chance to get close before they realize what we’re doing.”

“I don’t think so,” Gamora answered with a shake of her head. Her brow furrowed in thought. “Thanos said that there was a group of fighters on the ship that would be going with me on my mission.” She looked around at everyone. “That’s you. You were the fighters.”

“Whoa but we never spoke to Thanos,” Scott quickly got in. “I would definitely remember if we did.”

“Doesn’t matter. That was the role you were given here. This,” she made air quotes with her hands, “‘test’ decided that that was how you would be brought into this trial. So if you’re the fighters Thanos sent here…”

“It wouldn’t be strange to see us around the ship because we’re a part of the ranks,” Maria finished, looking at Gamora. “Is it normal to just see low level footsoldiers out and about though?”

“If you’re with me it shouldn’t be a problem,” Gamora shrugged. She gave a humorless smile. “It’s one of the perks of being Thanos’ daughter.”

“What about your mission?” Fury reminded her.

Gamora turned to him, crossing her arms. “What about it?”

“You’re Thanos’ deadliest, most efficient weapon,” Fury started. “He’s sent you on a mission, and it's been what now - twenty, thirty minutes? Don’t you think he’ll find it a little suspicious that you haven’t left yet?”

It bothered Gamora to admit that she hadn’t thought about that. But the solution came easily enough. “I just send the ship off without us. We have to get rid of Nebula anyway.”

“Oh, a decoy ship, I like it,” Scott grinned, rubbing his hands together. “Now we’re moving along.”

“That would make it so that Thanos doesn’t expect us,” Wanda mused. “But when they realize that we’re supposed to be gone yet we’re still here?”

“We fight,” Gamora said simply. “This plan will buy us maybe ten minutes. If this ship doesn’t leave on Thanos’ mission soon, he’ll send someone down here to see what the problem is, and then we’ll have the whole station to fight off.”

“Then let’s get this moving,” Hope prompted. “Scott and I can stay small and stealthy, which means we can pop in places where people least expect us and take them out like that.”

Scott nodded, agreeing to Hope’s idea. “And if shit goes south I can always shrink down super tiny and climb up Thanos’ -”

“No!” Both Bruce and Clint exclaimed at the same time. They’d heard enough of Scott’s plans on how to take down bad guys to know where this was going.

“But if I expand there he’ll -”

“We said  _ no _ ,” Bruce and Clint said in unison.

Gamora watched the short exchange but didn’t comment on it, instead addressing Hope. “That’ll still give us some sort of element of surprise in fights so I agree you both should be small and hide.”

Hope clicked on her helmet along with Scott, who was still grumbling about his ideas always being shot down.

“Ready when you are,” Sam nodded towards Gamora.

She took a deep breath. “Let’s first draw in the guards here on the deck, take them out, send the ship away,” she took another deep breath. “Then we go for Thanos.”

* * *

 

Ordering the guards to help her with something onboard had been easy, and taking them on had only meant a minor scuffle as they were quickly overpowered. They stripped them of their weapons as Gamora plugged in the coordinates, setting the ship on autopilot and ushering everyone off the ship as she set it for take off within the next minute.

Once the ship had left, it was time to “rock and roll” as Quill would say. Remembering that brought a smile to Gamora’s face.

“Act casual, don’t make eye contact, and follow me,” Gamora instructed them, and they set off.

They ran into scores of guards, but seeing Gamora was all it took for them to merely bow their heads and continue on their way without a word to their group. It was anxiety inducing, with everyone tense and ready to fire at a moments notice.

That moment’s notice came just as they were setting foot on the 8th level.

“Fuck,” Gamora whispered as soon as she saw Ebony Maw.

“Gamora,” he greeted casually, bowing slightly, his voice sending chills down her spine. She’d always hated him.

“Maw,” she responded in kind, nodding in his direction.

Their groups walked passed each other and it seemed like nothing was going to happen when Gamora heard Maw and his soldiers stop.

“I thought I saw your ship leaving the docks,” he commented.

Everyone froze.

“Interesting,” Gamora quipped. She glanced over at Wanda whose hands were already glowing bright red.

“So pray tell, why are you still here?” he pressed.

The gig was up.

Gamora whipped around, bringing a blaster up and aiming for Maw’s face. He simply waved a hand, tossing the bolt aside and making it strike one of the soldiers that was with him.

“Not the answer I was expecting, but that is answer enough,” Maw snarled, throwing his hands up and almost knocking everyone off their feet.

Wanda stood her ground, sending a blast of her red energy at him, crushing and curling around him as he tried to deflect and parry with telekinetic blasts of his own.

The soldiers opened fire on their group, and Sam quickly took to the air, shooting from above and twisting and twirling out of the way, as Maria and Fury dropped back behind pillars and shot back at the soldiers.

More soldiers immediately rushed around the corner Maw had come from once they heard the gunfire, and Banner bellowed as he grew and expanded. He had decided to go back to being just Banner after all the dust had all settled three months ago, but now was definitely the time for him to Hulk out.

He barreled over the soldiers, tossing them one way and another and crushing them under his fists.

“Go!” Wanda shouted. “We’ll hold them off!”

“But we’re so close we can take them out and -” Clint began.

“No - go!” Wanda yelled, taking her eyes off Maw for a second to shoot Clint a stubborn glare. “We can handle them. Take out Thanos and finish this trial.” She turned back and took a step forward, pushing Maw a dozen feet back. “You’re going to have to silence those paternal instincts for now, Barton.”

“Get going, Hawkeye!” Fury growled. “Make sure Scott and Hope are with you!”

A tiny pat on his neck and something quickly flitting past his face told him they were with him, and, even though it killed him to leave part of his team behind, he turned towards Gamora and followed her as they sprinted down the hall and towards the upper levels.

* * *

 

They could still hear the fighting downstairs when they got to the fourteenth level where Thanos’ throne room was. There were a handful of guards standing watch, and as they ran Gamora shouted, “Prisoners! They’ve escaped and they’re wrecking the 8th floor! Ebony Maw is trying to hold them off!”

The guards quickly scrambled off in the direction of the stairs, and Gamora felt her chest tighten at having sent more soldiers their way. But as soon as they got through those doors, it would just be a fight against Thanos and then this test would be over.

Gamora threw open the doors, marching up to Thanos who was watching her, completely unsurprised to see her.

Her anxiety increased when she saw his lack of reaction, but she forged on. “The prisoners stole my ship, and now they’re making their way up, they’re rebelling, they’re -”

“Rebelling?” Thanos asked, cocking his head to the side. “And how did they manage to steal your ship and get so far up?” He stood. “You must be an impressive leader.”

He knew.

Clint lifted his bow and shot the notched arrow at Thanos in the blink of an eye, but it merely struck his armor and scraped away, doing no damage.

Gamora pulled out her dagger, charging up the steps to the throne as he was coming down, dodging between his legs and coming up behind him, stabbing him in the small chink in his armor, right beneath the ribs.

Thanos growled, grabbing Gamora’s hand and pulling it away, drawing the dagger out. “You should have killed your sister before she informed me of your treason. You must know a simple -”

Another arrow that struck him cut him off. He turned murderous eyes to Clint.

But Clint wasn’t looking at him.

“Duck!” he shouted, just as the arrow exploded.

Gamora had just had a chance to dive off the platform, rolling onto her feet as Thanos staggered where he stood. His breastplate was concave, digging into his chest as the force of the explosion pushed it in. His face was burned, the skin still sizzling and from the shout of pain he gave his chest must had been burning too from the superheated metal.

Thanos was breathing heavily, the fury on his face clear as he took the spear that he held at his back and threw it at Clint.

He dodged out of the way, firing another arrow which Thanos sidestepped this time before jumping back when another spear flew towards him.

Gamora ran up the platform again, her dagger still out and slick with Thanos’ blood, but when she moved in to stab he caught her arm, choosing to take the hit from an arrow and dragging her towards him.

“No!” Clint shouted as the arrow detonated, sending Gamora flying as Thanos staggered back. She landed with a loud crack half a dozen feet from the dais, struggling to stand, her green blood running down her arms. Her dagger had noisily clattered to the floor across the room.

The momentary lapse in Clint’s attention was all Thanos needed to close the gap between them. Clint barely had a chance to whip out his katanas when Thanos was pummeling him, parrying his blades to the side as he tried to land a solid hit.

He had managed a backhanded blow that had knocked Clint off his feet when Thanos paused, his expression growing confused then back to furious. He reached into armored leggings, and Hope, who had been flying around trying to figure out what the hell to do could hear Scott through their comm almost chanting, “Almost there, almost there.”

Then there was a shout and Thanos pulled his hand out, holding something impossibly tiny between his fingers.

“Scott! Scott!” Hope screamed, realizing a second too late what Thanos was holding before he crushed his hand into a fist and Scott’s communicator turned to static silence.

Hope felt all the blood drop to her ankles and suddenly she was flying straight for him, growing in size and landing a kick right on Thanos’ face.

He took a surprised step back, caught completely off guard, as Hope shrunk and made a hard turn in midair, then grew again to catch him in a roundhouse kick behind his head.

That brought Thanos to his knees, but just as Hope was going to come back for another one Thanos caught her by the leg and swung her around, throwing her impossibly fast towards the dais. She had tried to shrink to try to catch herself but hadn’t been quick enough, and ended up crashing with the throne with a sickening crunch.

Clint saw her unconscious body slump to the bottom of the throne, unmoving. At least he hoped she was unconscious.

He got to his feet, throwing up his katanas but Thanos only grabbed onto his wrists, wrenching them away from where he’d been trying to cover his face and then began headbutting Clint, once, twice, a third time before he crumpled. His forehead was gushing blood, and Thanos kicked him away with a look of disgust before his eyes turned to Gamora who had finally gotten her legs to carry her.

“I’m disappointed to say the least. Even though this was a stronger fight than I had expected, I still expected more from you, daughter,” he said, walking over to Gamora slowly as she scrambled to try and grab her dagger.

Thanos stepped on her fingers as soon as they wrapped around the hilt, grabbing her by the arm and lifting her up to face him. She was dangling off the ground, bruised and bloodied. They’d failed.

She spit in his face.

“I’m not your daughter,” she growled.

His eyes were cold. “You are right, Gamora. This,” he looked around, shaking his head. “Whatever you want to call this trash performance - this definitely forfeit your standing as my daughter.” He put her down only to start dragging her out of the throne room.

Her fingers barely brushed against the dagger as she was pulled away from it, pulled away from the broken bodies of her friends.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this to you but you shouldn’t have underestimated your sister. You should have killed her if you wanted to do this. But you know what we do to trash around here,” he said matter-of-factly as he continued dragging her down the hall.

Gamora was kicking and screaming, struggling, but those words brought her up short. She’d seen what Thanos did to subjects that had failed him multiple times. “You wouldn’t,” she spat, all fire and rage that fizzled out as soon as he remained silent. “No - no, you wouldn’t!” she screamed. “Let me go! Let me go!” her voice was the only thing that filled the silence, and it struck her like a freight train that the fighting downstairs had gone quiet too.

He noticed the change in her, the realization washing over her. “We’ve already thrown them down. And we’ll do the same with the bodies.” He opened up a door that took them into a small room.

“No,” she whispered, planting her feet firmly on the ground, unwilling to believe that she was about to die  _ again _ . That she had led her friends to their doom. “Let me go!”

Thanos wrapped his hand around her throat, letting go of her arm and bringing her over the pit, letting her dangle above it. She could feel the heat rising beneath her, and felt herself gag as she realized that she smelled burnt flesh. “ _ This _ is where I’ll let you go.” Then Thanos’ voice seemed to warp, twisting and hollowing out, the sound painful to her ears. “ _ We have no space for your traitorous trash _ .”

Then Gamora was falling, falling, falling, the incinerator burning to life, the flames white hot and flickering up to meet her, and the last thing Gamora saw was Thanos turning on his heel and stepping away from the edge.

* * *

 

“You will head to the fourth quadrant and take out the Laenalaeven sentinels with the group of fighters I have provided. Inform us when that mission is complete and then my ship will follow suit. Do not fail me now, my children.”

“Yes, Father,” Nebula answered, bowing low before the throne.

Gamora dropped to her knees with a gasp, her heart threatening to pound out of her chest. She looked around frantically, surprised she wasn’t dead, wasn’t burning in the incinerator. She was in the throne room, the floor clean - no blood, no bodies.

“Daughter?” Thanos asked, his voice more annoyed than concerned.

“Father,” she breathed shakily, trying to keep her voice level, steady. Trying to hide her terror and confusion and playing off her collapse as a bow. “Your order will be carried out without an issue.”

Thanos merely nodded. “As is to be expected.”

Gamora rose slowly, keeping her eyes on the ground. She could see that Nebula was shaking with fury, clearly thinking that Gamora was trying to outdo her.

“Now, go,” Thanos finished. “The ship is in the docks.” He excused them with a wave, and it took every ounce of willpower in Gamora to not simply run out of the throne room.

As soon as the doors shut behind them, however, she took off at a sprint, ignoring Nebula’s shouts behind her. She needed to get to that ship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo.....sorry about this chapter! But y'know, they're onto something and they've just gotta pull it off just right! Coming back to life wasn't gonna be easy y'all
> 
> Also, I haaaaad to reference Scott's "i'll climb up his ass and expand and kill him" meme because that shit was gold and the Russos could never be that galaxy brain to embrace that kind of out of the box thinking. Anywho...
> 
> I'll be back as soon as classes let up with the next chapter! Just need three more weeks and then I'm completely free to write once summer breaks starts up for me, and for now I just gotta settle for the bits and pieces I'm able to squeeze out when I get the chance! Thank you so much for being patient with me and I'll be back as soon as classes let up!
> 
> I really hope you guys liked the chapter! Hope you guys stick around to find out what Nat and Tony are up against :)


	5. The Only Power in the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha fights against what holds power in her situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, first of all I'd like to apologize for being so late with this chapter. I've just had a really rough weekend and needed some time to deal with that. 
> 
> I really hope you like this chapter! I worked extra hard on this since I really wanted to keep this story moving, and so here you all go!
> 
> This chapter goes out to someone really important to me, and, if you're reading this, mijo, just know I believe in you. Te quiero mucho, and I can't wait to see you next year.

“You were sloppy, Romanova. Again,” the Madame ordered, nodding to another pair of trainees.

They stepped over the unconscious bodies of the other two trainees that had just gone up against her, and charged. It ended pretty much the same as the previous fight, but the Madame was still not happy.

“Merciful, now, Romanova?” she asked, voice laced with venom. “Before you used to be able to kill your opponents, even in training.”

“Before, when I was  _ actually _ here,” Natasha snapped in response.

The Madame shook her head. “Still talking nonsense, I see.” She sighed, looking almost bored as she motioned to the other pair of trainees. “Again.”

After being “discharged” from the medical ward, Natasha had been immediately thrown into training, pitting her against young, inexperienced trainees.

It was too much like the old days, when she’d been a trainee herself, killing her way to the top, bloody fight after bloody fight, with the blood always staining hands. Always, always on her hands.

She couldn’t wait to wake up. This nightmare was running so much longer than any of her other ones had. But when she did wake up - what then? She was dead. She pushed that reminder to the back of her head and tried not to dwell on it too much.

So here she was, fighting more and more trainees until she’d run through two dozen of them. The Madame, although highly annoyed, merely waved her away. “That’s enough for now. Take her to her quarters.”

The Winter Soldier stepped forward from where he’d been prowling along the back wall, his cold eyes on Natasha. He wordlessly opened the door, waiting for Natasha to step through.

“Go,” The Madame repeated.

Natasha shot her one last glare before she stepped through. Maybe by following orders she could make things less painful for herself in this nightmare.

She walked in front of him, acutely aware of his every move as they made their way down the hall. His movements were almost mechanic, all sharp edges and harsh lines. He was nothing like the man she’d gotten to know since Steve and Shuri helped him break out of the Winter Soldier.

But she had to try.

“Bucky?” she said quietly, peeking over at him to see if he’d reacted at all.

He hadn’t.

“It’s me, Nat,” she continued, once again with a quick glance.

Nothing.

“I’m your friend, remember? We’re all friends, you and me and Steve -” it was so small she could have been imagining it. There was the briefest of pauses in his step, as if he’d faltered.

But before she could talk about Steve again a familiar voice loudly called out, “Stop engaging the Soldier in conversation, Romanova. It's a waste of both your time and his.”

Natasha quickly turned to the voice, catching sight of Rhodey. She couldn’t even find her own voice as all the words she could possibly say disappeared. His mouth was set in a severe frown, his eyes narrowed in a scowl. “Get to your quarters,” he told her, before turning to Bucky, “And once she’s there, head down to the training lab. Rogers is ready for another round of training, and none of the other super soldiers are anywhere near strong enough to take him.”

Hearing that, however, broke her out of her shock. She grabbed onto Rhodey’s arm. “Steve’s here? Steve Rogers?”

He looked down at her, tearing his arm from her grip. “Did the experiment turn your brain to mush, Romanova? We pulled Rogers out of the ice and have had him here for almost five years now.”

* * *

 

Finding out that they had Steve Rogers and seeing him in action were two completely different things. He was deadly, absolutely lethal, not a hint of mercy or hesitation in his movements. If he and Bucky weren’t as evenly matched (and if they didn’t have explicit instructions not to kill each other), Natasha was sure that he would rip his best friend to shreds without a sliver of remorse.

She’d been brought in to watch on her fourth day out of the medical ward, brought in so she could “See what would happen if that nonsense behavior persists.” It was as much of a threat as a show of power, the power the academy had to turn people into killing machines at their beck and call.

It made Natasha’s stomach twist uncomfortably. It felt so real Natasha almost forgot that this was all a nightmare.

“Get her out of here,” the Madame said after Natasha had been watching Steve and Bucky fight tirelessly for over three hours.

Rhodey moved in to step beside her, herding her towards the door without touching her. Natasha didn’t protest as she left the room.

They walked down a series of hallways as Rhodey led her to the dining area, for a late breakfast or an early lunch, Natasha didn’t really know. All she knew was that she didn’t have an appetite for anything.

The dining area was small, and everyone ignored her as she and Rhodey walked in, but she knew that they had all noticed and were all tracking her every move. It was an important skill that everyone at the academy was taught.

Natasha didn’t care. She could handle anyone that came her way.

She picked up her portion of food and found a quiet space to sit, away from Rhodey who had stayed by the door, standing opposite the guard who was posted there. She still found it strange that in her nightmare Rhodey would be a guard.

It didn’t take long for her to finish her food. It wasn’t good or bad, just practical. Enough to keep her strong but just enough. No more, no less. Everything here was about practicality, about how well taken care of they could keep their tools.

Once she was finished, she put her tray with the dirty dishes, then made her way back towards the exit. Rhodey stepped aside, letting her pass in front of him, but as soon as she was out the door she ran into a pair of people.

They didn’t say anything as they stepped around her, the woman glaring while the man looked completely unbothered. Natasha had seen that glare plenty of times, but had never been on the receiving end before.

“Okoye?” Natasha asked, completely shocked yet unsurprised that both Okoye and T’Challa were in her nightmare, too.

T’Challa glanced over at Okoye, waiting for her response. Okoye merely threw one last scowl over her shoulder before she stalked off into the dining hall.

“You’ve seen the Wakandans plenty of times before, keep moving,” Rhodey said, stepping out behind Natasha.

“R-right,” Natasha answered, ducking her head and continuing down the hall. She hazarded a small question, “Have you ever been to Wakanda?”

Rhodey barked out a laugh. “That poor farm country? The only good thing they have there are the people we can bring into the academy.” They turned down another hallway. “They brought in a new girl a few days ago, and I hear she’ll be a strong one. She’s putting up almost as hard a fight as you.”

She knew it was some kind of twisted compliment, but all it did was make Natasha feel disgusted with herself as their walk devolved into tense silence.

The quiet didn’t last very long before there was shouting coming from down the hall.

“Get your filthy hands off me, colonizer!”

Natasha knew that voice. Without even realizing it she was already running towards the voice, the sounds of a fight growing louder and louder as she approached. She was about to turn a corner when Shuri stumbled backwards, into sight, catching herself along the wall. She had a split lip, and her arms were covered in bruises and scrapes, but her eyes burned with fury.

“You will not touch me again!” she shouted.

Two guards stood looming over Shuri, their faces contorted in frustration. They reached for Shuri, but before they could get anywhere near her Natasha had slammed against one of them, knocking him off his feet.

The other guard was only confused for a second before he lifted up his baton. Natasha had been expecting that, and quickly punched the man’s wrist to get him to drop it. She kicked it far down the hall as soon as it clattered to the ground, then moved into a defensive position in front of Shuri.

“Romanova, you little -” the first guard snarled, jumping back to his feet and pulling out his own nightstick.

He feinted left, but she saw the way his eyes darted and knew he was going right, so she dodged out of the way before using that momentum to carry her into sucker punch. She could feel the wind get knocked right out of him as he stumbled.

While she was focusing on him, the other guard came around and tried to grapple her in a bear hug, lifting her off the ground. She slammed her head back, feeling the blow connect and hearing the thick crack as she got him right on the nose. He loosened his grip on her, just enough for her to get back on the ground but not enough to let go of her completely.

She used that to her advantage, grabbing onto his arms and rolling forward hard and fast, sending him over her shoulder and headfirst into the ground. She tucked and rolled to avoid getting crushed and hitting the ground just as hard.

Natasha had just gotten back to her feet, throwing Shuri a reassuring glance over her shoulder when she felt something clamp onto her throat, cutting off her breathing as she was lifted off the ground once more. She looked down, coming face to face with the cold, unfeeling eyes of the Winter Soldier. She kicked out wildly as her hands tried to pry the fingers off her throat, and was rewarded with a breath of fresh air as he dropped her.

All she had time to do was take in a few gasps of air on her hands and knees before he had grabbed onto her arm, pulling it back and twisting - twisting, twisting, twisting and putting enough pressure that she felt her arm was either about to pop out of it's socket or her elbow was going to snap or both.

“That’s enough, Soldier!” Rhodey yelled from down the hall.

The pressure ended and she let out a shuddery breath of relief. She could see Rhodey glaring at the Winter Soldier.

“You better not have fucking broken anything,” he scolded him. He glanced down at Natasha, unimpressed but seeming almost disappointed. Then he turned back to the Soldier. “Now take her to the doctor, have him look her over.” He kicked at the guard on the ground. “And you, take the trainee where she needs to go. Stop fucking around and get your jobs done.”

Natasha rallied when she heard that. “No, don’t - let her go, let her -”

The starburst of pain that blossomed across her ribs made her gasp out in pain. It’d been the guard on the ground, kicking out at her in annoyance. “You stay quiet,” he growled.

Rhodey stepped on the man’s hand, crushing his fingers beneath his boots. “Your job isn’t to give her orders. Just do your jobs.” He gave the Winter Soldier one last nod before he turned on his heel, causing the guard groan in pain as his fingers were trampled on.

Bucky began walking down the hall, dragging her along behind him. Natasha tried to reach out, to touch or grab or hold onto Shuri, she didn’t know, but the guards were already up and dragging Shuri away too. She was too stunned by everything she’d seen to even fight, but when her eyes met Natasha’s, Natasha felt her heart jump to her throat.

For a second she thought she saw recognition painted clearly across Shuri’s face, but then it was gone as Shuri disappeared once Natasha was dragged around a corner.

* * *

 

After very unceremoniously dropping Natasha inside a room in the medical ward, Bucky stepped out and shut the door behind him. Natasha just sat there, staring at the door as it closed, wishing that she would just wake up already. Her arm was laying uselessly in her lap, aching and sore and painfully bringing up the idea that maybe  _ this _ was her life, that it’d always been her life.

She shook her head, trying to physically rid herself of the thought.

“Are you just going to sit there all day or are you going to get on the examination table and let me see what you got sent here for?”

Natasha turned, unexpectedly finding Doctor Strange sitting at a medical station. He was in doctor’s scrubs with gloves on his hands, looking incredibly bored as he watched her.

Slowly, Natasha got up, cradling her arm and wincing at the pain in her ribs as she went over and pulled herself onto the table to sit. “Sorry,” she mumbled.

The bored look dropped off Strange’s face as soon as he heard her. “What did they sic on you to make you so apologetic?”

She merely turned her eyes to the door before dropping her gaze to the ground.

Strange sighed. “The Winter Soldier has always been the only one that can handle you.” He stood, holding his hand out in front of him. Natasha hesitantly put her hand in his, and he slowly extended her arm, turning it gently one way, then another, his hands sure and steady as they moved to softly poke and prod her shoulder and her wrist.

Natasha couldn’t help to stare in amazement.

“Well, you’re already bruising up,” he said, tapping her wrist as it was already turning purple. “And you’ve even got some bruises on your neck,” he observed, his hand moving to her throat, turning her head to both sides slowly and then asking her to swallow a few times. “But it seems like it's just bruising. Those  _ super soldiers _ ,” he spit the word out derisively, “didn’t do any more damage than that. Some ibuprofen should help keep the swelling to a minimum and should dull whatever pain you’re in.”

He took a step back, pulling off his gloves. Natasha had already been watching his hands with rapt attention, and when she saw the flawless skin there, she couldn’t stop herself as she gasped out, “Your hands - they’re not shaking.”

“Yes,” Stephen answered, flexing his fingers. “And they shouldn’t. As a doctor and a surgeon, the last thing I need are shaking hands.” He waved his hands slightly, “These things and my brain are the only thing I have going for me.”

Natasha shook her head. “But - but there was an accident. You - your hands got so damaged and you couldn’t find anything to make them better you - you became a sorcerer,” she rushed out. “You weren’t just a doctor anymore.”

Stephen was watching her skeptically as he began to frown. “What are you saying? I’m a doctor - sorcerers don’t exist,” he explained. His frown deepened as he quickly put his gloves back on, stepping close to her again and looked her deep in the eye. “Are you suffering from a concussion? Did they receive any blows to the head I need to know about?”

“N-no,” Natasha answered truthfully, but she knew that this doctor’s appointment or whatever this was winding to an end, so she quickly lifted her shirt to show the now bruised skin of her ribs. “But I did get kicked here.”

“Let’s hope none of these are fractured,” he sighed again, his hands poking and feeling to make sure there weren’t any cracks that could easily become breaks during training.

Natasha took the chance to keep talking. “I’m an Avenger - with Tony. Tony Stark.” He paused but then continued with his check up, now pulling out his stethoscope. “We were Avengers,” she corrected. “You were going to bring him - bring us - back. You and Clint and Steve -”

He cut her off, stepping away with a scowl. “With  _ Rogers _ ,” he hissed, shaking his head. “If you’re not concussed, you’re certainly still on some of those drugs they had you on a few days ago.” He pulled out a small notepad, scribbling something on it. “I wouldn’t work that soldier - especially in regards to helping that billionaire brat, Stark.” He tore the piece of paper and shoved it in her hand. “That’s your prescription. Give it to whatever nurse you see and they’ll deliver it to your room. Now get out. I don’t want to get in trouble over the things you’re saying.” He shook his head as he turned back to sit in his chair. “Sorcerer Supreme,” he scoffed under his breath, rolling his eyes at how insane that sounded.

She did as she was told, her shoulders sagging in defeat. She opened the door and glanced at him one last time before she stepped out.

His hands were shaking.

* * *

 

It wasn’t until after she’d given a nurse the prescription, until after she’d taken a few pills and she was already nodding off, that Natasha realized she’d never told Stephen his title as sorcerer.

But when she woke up the next morning, that had already slipped her mind.

* * *

 

“Today we’ll be watching the two newest trainees fight against each other,” the Madame informed them as she walked in front of their ranks. “As you all know, the winner moves on in our program while the loser is discarded.”

Natasha couldn’t help but flinch. She remembered being the winner countless times, remembered the bloody bodies of her peers being dragged out. And once again, the blood, always, always blood on her hands.

“Both of these recruits have been very rebellious, so we can only expect great fighters out of them once they get with the program,” the Madame continued. “Out of one of them,” she corrected.

The door were then thrown open and Shuri was ushered in by Rhodey, who then stood guard at the door. Natasha felt T’Challa who was standing beside her flinch as her own heart dropped, but she could only hope that Shuri was able to win against whoever she was going to fight.

Her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach when Natasha watched Steve stride in, dragging a very resistant and obviously terrified teenager into the room. His brown hair was messy and his eyes were wide as he took everything in.

“Oh, no,” Natasha whispered.

“You will both fight,” the Madame ordered, coming to stand in front of them. “Until one of you can no longer fight. Last person standing is the victor.”

“But I’m not here to fight!” Peter shouted, jumping to his feet. “I shouldn’t be here at all - I should be - I-I should be -” he stuttered out, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he began to panic. “I have someone I have to save! Someone important to me!”

The madame tsked her disappointment. “Sentimentality gets you nowhere. Now, fight,” she repeated.

“I’m not going to!” Peter shot back, hands clenched into fists at his side.

“Then die,” the Madame shrugged, stepping back just as both Bucky and Steve stepped forward, looming menacingly over Peter.

“No - stop!” Natasha shouted, breaking ranks and running to put herself between the soldiers and Peter. “They’re just kids!”

There was silence, total and absolute silence as everyone held their breath.

“Romanova, Romanova,” the Madame sighed, annoyance clear in her voice. “I have no idea what has gotten into you as of late.” She was watching her with a calculating eye, appraising her with a frown. “As I said before, sentimentality gets you nowhere,” she said, looking to the soldiers. “You know the punishment for interfering.”

Suddenly Bucky was reaching for her, just as Steve had grabbed both Shuri and Peter and dragged them to the sidelines. Natasha jumped back, escaping Bucky’s grasp by a hairsbreadth.

Then the Winter Soldier attacked.

Bucky moved to try to knock Natasha off her feet, hooking his foot behind her ankle and tripping her up. She stumbled and decided to roll to get out of the way, coming to rest on one knee and gathering her bearings before Bucky charged at her.

Natasha dodged out of the way of a punch, scrambling to her feet as she kicked him in the side as hard as she could. He barely budged.

He grabbed her foot, dragging her and slamming her against the wall. She gasped, pain exploding across her back and jarring her still sore shoulder.

“Now, Natalia,” the Madame began. “Let this all serve as a reminder that  _ you _ are not the one with power here.”

Natasha yanked herself from Bucky’s grasp, jumping to tackle him and put him in a headlock, wrapping her thighs around his neck and trying to use the momentum to knock him over and hold him down. It was about as effective as trying to take down a steel beam.

Bucky grabbed onto her knees, pulling them away from his neck and bucking her off him. She landed hard on her shoulder, cursing under her breath as she squeezed her eyes shut to keep from crying out.

A hand wrapping around her throat made her eyes snap wide open, but this time she couldn’t kick out against him to get him to let her go. He was kneeling down beside her, one hand choking her and the other easily swatting her hands away as she tried to hit him to get him to let her go.

The Madame came into view just as Natasha’s vision started to go fuzzy around the edges. Her voice sounded strange, far away but up close, deep and resonant. “ _ You have no power here. The Red Room is the only one that holds power _ .”

Peter and Shuri were screaming her name over and over again, and it was the last thing she heard before everything went dark.

* * *

 

Natasha woke up in her room the next morning. There were pills beside her bed, and a small note in Stephen’s barely legible scrawl that told her how many to take and to try to keep out of trouble if she wanted everything to heal well.

She winced as she sat up, dry swallowing two pills and almost choking on them as they scraped against the inside of her bruised throat. She was honestly surprised she was still alive. 

“I just need to wake up,” she whispered to herself, softly touching her throat as tears sprung to her eyes. “I just need to wake up and - and go home.”

That became her mantra, one she repeated whenever she remembered it.

But as the days dragged on, she forgot about home more and more and more, finding it harder and harder to believe that that had been real, and not just a cruel dream that had been yanked out of her hands, a brief escape from her current circumstances, circumstances that she had no power to change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor baby Natasha, but it just is what it is when you're trying to do the impossible. I would honestly love to hear what you guys think, so you know, comments are 1000% encouraged and I absolutely love reading them!
> 
> I'll be back more consistently once finals are over after next week and I'm finally on summer break, so you know, wish me luck with all these end of the year exams! Thank you all so much for reading and sticking with me, and I hope you all liked this chapter!


	6. Time Spent in the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony has to cope with reliving moments of his time that were but a handful of the hardest parts of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo I'm back! Did you miss me?  
> Finals are over! Summer is here! I'm finally home!
> 
> And Spiderman Far From Home premiers July 2nd T.T fuck bruh that's too damn quick I'm aboutta die just thinking about how much I have to write
> 
> But here I am with the next chapter! I hope you guys like it!

Rocket’s question had barely gotten out when there was the sound of a latch being opened, and someone barked out a question in a language Tony still didn’t know but that was so disturbingly familiar he felt his heart almost stop altogether.

The man in front of him quickly surged forward, grabbing Tony by the arm and helping him to his feet, rushing out a quiet, “Come on stand up, stand up -” and then, to Tony’s complete and total surprise, he turned around and addressed everyone else, “do as I do.”

Tony shot them a pleading, terrified look, before the door was opening, and the members of the Ten Rings were stepping through, and Tony felt his whole world shrink and narrow and focus intensely on the scene before him.

He knew what they wanted, what they threatened, what happened during this conversation, but that didn’t make it any easier to live through a second time. Tony let Yinsen - because it _was_ Yinsen, the man that had touched his life so profoundly, the one who’s actions had led to his growth and development as a hero and a person - handle things, he trusted Yinsen so much more now that he knew how things would turn out, but he still spoke when he knew he had to. It felt strange, like the words were being dropped in his head, the right words that needed to be said to take them to what would happen next.

Once they had finally left them alone in the dark, dingy cave, Tony stumbled as the relief he felt was so intense his knees almost gave out.

“Stark!” Thor called out, crossing the dozen steps between them to reach him as Yinsen slowly eased him back onto the cot.

He felt Thor’s hand on his shoulder as Yinsen’s hands were still on his arm, and it felt like Tony was tearing in half, like a part of him was being grounded in the here and now in whatever kind of present they were in and another part was being pulled into the past, dragging him back over a decade to the terror he’d tried to outrun. He shuddered, his breaths coming in short and shallow.

“Mantis,” Thor whispered loudly, “Please, do something.”

There was shuffling from behind him, and in the tiny pinprick of solid thought amidst the sea of roiling panic he knew that the Guardians were getting closer. He also realized he must have looked much, _much_ more disturbed if he’d managed to get them all to stay quiet for the entire exchange.

Tony was shaking, his hands pressing into his chest expecting to find the bulky electromagnet that was supposed to be keeping the shrapnel from reaching his heart, but finding nothing. It wasn’t there, and thus was another tether to their present. He felt a gentle hand touch his forehead, and could feel it tremble as well.

“He is afraid,” Mantis whispered, voice thick with unshed tears. Immediately afterwards a small wave of calm washed over Tony, just enough to dull the sharp edges of his anxiety and to bring him back from the brink but not enough to make him feel any less scared.

It was just enough to bring him towards clarity.

“Is this -” Thor began, coming to crouch in front of Tony, his hand still reassuringly on his shoulder, his expression unsure and worried. “Tony, is this the place you told me about? Where you were taken?”

All Tony could manage was a tiny nod. He dropped Thor’s gaze, feeling his chest tighten and threaten to send him into a panic again at the sight of his friend looking so concerned.

“What is this place? What’s happening?” Nebula asked, turning her questions to Yinsen.

“You were all brought here to help Stark build them,” Yinsen gestured to the door where the Ten Rings goons had left, “a Jericho missile. We’re all here simply as Stark’s assistants and honestly we were all lucky they didn’t -”

“We’re not Stark’s _assistants_ ,” Quill huffed, his eyes narrowing in annoyance.

“I am Groot,” Groot said.

Drax nodded. “He’s right. We don’t even know what Jerko missile is.”

Tony turned to them in time to catch Yinsen raising an eyebrow, but other than that he seemed completely unfazed by all the aliens in the room. Tony didn’t know what to make of that.

Loki stepped in between them. “Pardon my,” his face scrunched up as he seemed to search for the correct word. “Teammates,” he finally said. He shot the Guardians a pointed look, “We just don’t like the term assistants. We’re all a _team_ ,” he emphasized. He came over to where Thor was still crouched in front of Tony and went down onto one knee beside him. “I don’t know what’s going on, but Stark, this - this is a test.”

He blinked at him, the words making logical sense and explaining why Yinsen wasn’t batting an eye at everyone but his mind was still coming up blank. Loki could clearly see the lost look in Tony’s eyes because he sighed a little dramatically.

“We’re all going to be tested in order to bring you back - this is the trial we have to face.” His voice softened slightly. “From the looks of things, this is a dark place in your past. But you’re not handling this alone.”

Thor nodded, shooting his brother a proud look before he gave Tony’s shoulder a small squeeze. “He’s right. We’re all right here, and we’re going to figure this out together.”

“We’re going to kick names and take ass,” Mantis said with conviction, and it was almost enough to bring a smile to his face.

Tony took a shaky breath, sniffling and wiping at his face before he turned to Yinsen. “We don’t have time to lose.”

**...**

 

Even though Tony didn’t need the miniature arc reactor to keep the shrapnel from reaching his heart this time around, he still had to build it in order to power the suit. Rocket and Yinsen and Nebula were the people he worked with the closest while everyone else started helping to craft the suit.

The small hope Tony had harbored that maybe Thor or Loki could use their powers to get them out fizzled out when all Thor could do was create a handful of sparks and Loki couldn’t do more than create a hazy copy of himself. He could hear Loki quietly call Thor “Lord of Thunder”, causing Thor to zap him in return while they worked on smelting the armor.

Despite having many more hands on deck this time around, they were still on roughly the same schedule as the Ten Rings demanded that they work much faster than they had when it had been just Yinsen and Tony. It made sense, but it only made his anxiety worse as it made it quite clear that it wasn’t only Yinsen that knew his friends were with him.

It didn’t matter though, Tony kept reminding himself. This time the bad guys didn’t outnumber them as much, he thought, pausing in his tinkering.

He glanced over at Yinsen as he showed Groot how to prepare their rations into something a bit more edible.

Tony went back to his metalwork. This time Tony knew what was coming, and he wasn’t going to let it happen again.

**...**

 

Rocket rigged the explosives to the door with so much excitement that Tony almost thought he’d set them off prematurely just to get to see them detonate.

“Finally we’re getting somewhere,” he grinned, quickly making his way back to where Yinsen was rigging the original Iron Man suit onto Tony.

“Say it again,” Yinsen told Tony as he continued to bolt the chest piece into place.

“Forty-one steps straight ahead,” Tony began, reciting the directions from memory. He’d gone through these caves in his nightmares enough times to never forget which way he had to go.

It didn’t take long before they’d drawn the attention of the Ten Rings, and the Hungarian was shouting at them through the latch in the door. It was time to get the show on the road.

The explosion rocked the cave and shook dust from the ceiling as the doors were blown off their hinges.

“How’d that work?” Tony asked since once again he hadn’t been able to see the explosion.

“Oh my goodness,” Yinsen breathed, peeking around to see the gaping hole in the wall. “It worked all right.”

“They didn’t even see what hit ‘em,” Rocket cackled with glee, rushing forward to pick up the guns the men at the door had dropped along with Quill.

“You know the plan,” Tony said, looking at Thor and Drax.

“Buy you time,” Thor nodded, gripping Stormbreaker’s handle tightly.

“Take them out,” Drax added, fists clenched at his sides as he let out a bellowing shout and took off out into the cave system.

“Keep an eye on him, please,” Tony pleaded, trusting them to keep it together but still incredibly nervous since now this was all going to be a completely new twist to things.

“I will,” Thor assured him before quickly running out after Drax.

Quill and Rocket stood guard by the hole of the door while Nebula, Mantis, and Loki waited for Tony’s suit to finish booting up. It was all a matter of time. Time, time, time, just getting enough time.

They could hear gunfire and Thor and Drax’s shouts coming from far away right as the progress bar reached 100%. The suit was ready, and Yinsen was right there with him.

“Stay behind us, out of sight,” Tony told Yinsen.

He nodded in understanding, and then all hell truly broke loose.

It was a tediously slow dash for the exit, with Tony leading the charge flanked by Quill and Rocket, with Nebula, Loki, Mantis, and Groot taking out anyone trying to sneak up on them and Yinsen staying safely behind them. They caught up to Drax and Thor after a while, and then they were out, and they were razing everything to the ground, making sure they couldn’t be followed as they raced into the desert.

Running was treacherous and arduous and it all happened so fast yet still felt like an eternity but it was fine, it was all worth it because Yinsen wasn’t bleeding out on some sacks with freedom within arm’s reach, Yinsen was right there with them, Yinsen was right behind him, they had made it out together -

Tony turned around, popping open the faceplate to give them all a relieved grin before it slid right off his face. “Where’s Yinsen?”

Everyone turned and looked around, and realization dawned on them all at the same time.

“He got left behind,” Nebula said, voicing what had just become apparent.

“No,” Tony denied, shaking his head and already moving to turn back. “No - no, we got out, we - we made it, he was here, he -”

He reached back as if he could somehow physically take Yinsen and bring him to their group, but everything was already shifting, and Tony wasn’t in the desert anymore, but instead flying in New York, with a nuke about to blow in less than a minute.

* * *

 

“Is this what it was like fighting on the winning team?” Loki asked, his voice somehow coming over Tony’s communicator.

“Where are you, Tony? Are these fucking Chitauri?” Quill’s voice filtered through as well.

“We’re in the Battle of New York,” Tony breathed, tears stinging his eyes that he didn’t even have time to shed as the nuke headed straight for the city. “I-I think I need to take care of this.”

“I’ll make sure we handle things on the ground,” Thor told him, knowing what Tony had to do. “This is still a part of the trial, we need to win again.”

Tony flew after the nuke, coming up beneath it and starting to guide it towards the giant wormhole in the sky.

“Stark,” Captain America - _Steve_ began, his voice making Tony realize just how much he missed him. “You know that’s a one way trip.”

He couldn’t even let himself dwell on having his friend so close yet impossibly far at the same time. “Fr -” Tony started, before he realized who he still had as his AI. He swallowed past the lump in his throat. “Save the rest for the turn, J.”

“Sir,” Jarvis answered, and this time a few tears did run down Tony’s face, “Shall I try Miss Potts?”

Pepper’s contact picture appeared on the interface, and Tony felt his heart stutter in his chest. His hold on the missile loosened slightly, before he straightened up, knowing this was how he kept her safe. “Might as well,” he got out quietly.

Tony maneuvered the missile past skyscrapers as he moved towards Stark Tower, but he felt himself second guess how he was going to do this, how he was going to pull this off a second time. It’d been sheer luck last time. Would his luck hold out again?

As he started moving at a sharper angle towards the wormhole, he realized what he should have seen the first time around - once he got it angled right, it would fly right on in. He didn’t need to go through the hole, didn’t need to die.

The _CALLING_ message was still displayed over Pepper’s picture. He could hear her voice again. All Tony had to do was time it right.

He had reached Stark Tower, flying so close the tower nicked his suit. Just a little more, a little more, and -

Tony let go of the missile, shooting it straight through the wormhole. It went in clear, and Tony was still on Earth, he had figured it out.

The dialing tone of the call had just cut out, turned to soft shuffling on the other end as Pepper picked up, and Tony felt his heart leap before it dropped as he watched in horror as the nuke collided with an errant Chitauri glider, setting it off before it had a chance to hit the main ship.

As the nuke exploded and the deadly detonation spilled from the wormhole and into New York, Tony could hear Pepper say, “ _Tony?_ ” before everything changed again.

* * *

 

Tony couldn’t even catch his breath before he was throwing up his shield to stave off a blast from the Power Stone, his instincts taking over as he recognized where he was and he turned out of the way and flew towards Thanos, aiming a kick to anchor his arm to the ground before punching him right in the face.

Thanos touched his face, seeing his fingers tinted red. “All that for a drop of blood.”

Then it was hand to hand, and Tony knew that Thanos was going to pummel him, that he was going to ultimately stab him, but he couldn’t let it happen because then Strange would give him the Time Stone.

He had to buy the rest of the team time to get back on their feet and start fighting Thanos again, to finally beat him here and now. The Guardians were all here, they knew what was happening, and this time they even had Thor and Loki as extra back-up, they could do it.

Tony dodged and parried, threw in a few blasts and punches when he could, but all he was focused on was drawing things out as long as possible to avoid Thanos landing a near fatal injury on him. He could hear people rousing behind him, and sure enough someone started fighting beside him.

“Took you long enough,” Tony got out, feeling a little bolder now that someone had his back.

“Sorry I took so long, Mr. Stark.”

As soon as he heard Peter answer him, Tony faltered in his fighting, just a split second, but it was enough for Thanos to backhand him and send him flying.

Tony saw Peter square off against Thanos as he tumbled through the air, using his smaller size to weave in and out and miraculously avoid Thanos’ blows.

“Peter, get out of there!” Tony shouted, righting himself as quickly as possible and putting all the power he had in his thrusters to get back to them.

“We’re a team, I’m helping beat this guy!” Peter stubbornly answered, the Iron Spider legs shooting out and deflecting a few of Thanos’ punches, even going so far as to pierce skin and jab into Thanos’ shoulder.

Even though that wouldn’t be enough to take down Thanos, Tony felt pride bubble in his chest seeing that Peter had managed to land a solid attack on the Mad Titan, but the pride evaporated as soon as Thanos snapped off the appendage in rage.

Peter let out a small gasp as the Iron Spider leg stabbed him right through the stomach.

“No!” Tony screamed, flying right into Thanos’ face. He pushed Thanos away as Peter fell to the side, and Tony shot two beams right into Thanos before going into a flurry of punches, hoping to do something to get him to stop so that he could help Peter.

In his desperation, he hadn’t noticed that Thanos still had the bloody Spider leg in his grip, and it wasn’t until he was staring down at it as it cut clean through him and he was choking on his sobs that he realized that Thanos had managed to do it again. They were back in the situation Tony had wanted to avoid, but this time it was much, much worse.

“This could have all been easier, Stark,” Thanos sighed, standing up just as Tony fell back beside Peter. The stones on the gauntlet began to glow. “But I am inevitable.”

“Stop,” Strange called out, groaning as he pulled himself upright in the rubble.

From far away, Tony could swear he could hear Nebula shouting that they were almost there, that they were about to reach them.

“Spare his life,” Stephen said, “And I will give you the stone.”

“No tricks,” Thanos growled.

Stephen held his gaze.

“Peter’s,” Tony pleaded, as he weakly pointed to Peter who was shaking on the ground, the puddle of blood growing beneath him.

Strange refused to meet Tony’s gaze as he focused on bringing the stone into their plane of existence, then he finally looked at Tony, and quietly whispered, “I’m sorry.” He turned to Thanos, and louder, said, “Tony’s life.”

“No - Strange, no -” Tony shouted, as the stone was handed to Thanos, and Thanos closed his fist, the stones shining as he pointed them at Peter but then thankfully everything changed and he didn’t see what Thanos was going to do to his boy.

* * *

 

Tony stood before Thanos, the stones rearranging themselves onto his own Iron Gauntlet. All he had to do was snap. Everything was spinning before him, everything had happened so fast, he didn’t have time to think, time to work everything out, time to mourn, to cry, to find a different answer. He had to find a different answer, his mind thundering with what he knew would happen and with the possibilities of how he could change things.

“I am inevitable,” Thanos said, the words echoing as it seemed like all the fighting turned to static around them. Lightning flew and armies warred, and Tony suddenly had an idea.

“But you’re no god,” he answered, and then he was zeroing in on the lightning, on Thor and Steve fighting side by side. Thor could withstand the power of the stones, he could do what needed to be done and still survive.

He had to do one thing right, and keep living in order to make sure he fixed every single last mistake he’d made in the past.

Tony flew into the sky, just as Thor turned around, clearly looking for him as well as he came to in the fight.

“Bring it here!” he shouted, voice booming over the battle.

Thor didn’t need to tell him twice. Tony raced towards him as Thor began moving towards him, but with all the fighting and commotion going on around him Tony didn’t see who knocked him out of the sky. All he knew was the one second he was shooting through the air and the next he was crash landing, clutching the hand with the stones tightly in his grasp. He could feel their power coursing through him, burning him like a rolling heat.

He quickly scrambled to his feet, meaning to take to the sky again when another harsh blow sent him down. He turned and shot a quick blast out of his regular repulsor, taking care of the rabid beast hovering over him, only to find Thanos taking its place before him.

Thanos lifted his fists and then slammed them down on him, and Tony could feel his already fragile chest cave in as his vision went white for a second. He tucked his arm up close to him despite being barely able to breathe. He definitely had a punctured lung, definitely more, maybe even worse, and as Thanos continued to pummel him and he felt more of himself breaking beneath his fists with every hit, Tony came to terms that he wasn’t going to make it out of this fight again. This was his final battle.

With the last of his strength, Tony lifted his hand to snap, but the gauntlet was torn out of his grasp, his arm tearing and breaking in the process and falling limp beside him.

“N-no,” he choked out, feeling the coppery taste of blood starting coat the back of his throat.

“ _I am the only constant time and time again_ ,” Thanos finished, ripping the stones from the Iron Gauntlet and putting them back into his own. “ _I am inevitable_.”

And then he snapped.

* * *

 

Tony sat up, frantically looking around in the dark. He put a hand to his chest, feeling it rise and fall solidly but rapidly as he was still clearly panicked. He’d lost Yinsen, lost New York, lost Peter, and he’d lost against Thanos, all just a handful of his darkest moments that he’d been forced to relive with horrible, terrible changes. Tony could barely wrap his mind around it as he curled in on himself, terrified and confused and so sure that this was just how death tears you up, how death unravels your mind until you’re reduced to nothing, and now he was all alone in the dark, just by himself -

“Why are we back?” Nebula asked from somewhere in the dark, making Tony jump with a start.

“What are we doing in this cave again?” Rocket groaned. “I feel beat up all over, why are we back?”

At that, Tony blinked a few times to get his eyes used to the dark and sure enough, they were back in the Ten Rings’ cave dungeon. Tony didn’t know whether he should be relieved or filled with dread.

“Things didn’t go the way they should have,” Loki whispered, shuffling closer to where Tony sat.

“That’s a nice way of saying we failed,” Quill quipped, and Tony could faintly make him out beside Drax, who nodded in agreement.

“Maybe we did, this first time around,” Thor said, his voice coming from beside Tony. He hadn’t even realized Thor was sitting right next to him. “But all this means is that we have another chance to get this right.”

Tony blinked away his tears and got better used to the dim lights, and could just make out Yinsen sleeping on a tiny cot along the back wall, breathing soundly. He thought of Pepper, who he hadn’t had a chance to talk to, and Peter, who he hadn’t saved. Another chance.

“We have to get it right this time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did it hurt when I made Peter get stabbed by a part of the armor Tony had made to keep him safe? Yes, yes it did. Was that enough to deter me from the scene as soon as I had the idea? Nope, I just hadda do it
> 
> Sorry Tony baby I don't want you to go through all this pain and trauma all over again but a test's a test and this is just the way the cookie crumbles babe
> 
> I really, really hope you guys liked the chapter! Comments and kudos are really gonna be the starfuel I need to keep me writing so I can finish this on time, so y'know, leave 'em when you can, I love to read them!
> 
> I'll be back as soon as possible, babes. I already finished with my finals, and my Vormir Babies have gotta finish with their tests too


	7. Burning Comets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They keep pushing through the trials, working different angles and possibilities, with a renewed hope in their heart that maybe, just maybe, they have figured things out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should be sleeping but I had to publish something today, I really hope you guys like it!

Gamora wasn’t sure exactly how many times they had all died at this point. Every single attempt to destroy Thanos had ended the same exact way, with their complete and utter failure. It was frustrating and disheartening, and they were running out of ideas.

They had tried another couple of times to rush the Mad Titan and catch him unawares, making sure to take different routes in order to avoid Ebony Maw and other soldiers and henchmen, as well as making sure that Nebula was better restrained or even bringing her back down with them and stashing her in some forgotten corner of the main ship. But every single time had led to them getting thrown into the furnace.

There had been attempts to run away to various different places in order to lose Thanos and try and gather extra help to take him out. Nebula had been incapacitated or left behind in order to avoid trouble with her as they veered off course, but those tries had resulted in being blown to bits when Thanos realized the ship wasn’t going to the fourth quadrant like he’d ordered.

Scott had even gotten Hope to give in and they’d been through the climb-up-Thanos’-ass (or nose or ear or mouth, any orifice at that point, really) and expand plan a few more times before they’d decided that was a desperate bust too.

In the mad scrambles that had been their sloppier attempts they had even gone as far as to crash their ship into Thanos’ throne room from outside, which had killed many of them on impact, and had only made a barely bloodied Thanos throw the rest of them into the fire.

All their plans were reaching the same end.

Gamora watched Wanda fall as she tried to keep Clint safe, she watched as Sam was shot out of the sky and Hope got crushed and Banner crumple before he’d even had a chance to Hulk out. He’d seen Fury and Scott and Maria all die bloody.

Maybe Thanos was inevitable, Gamora thought to herself, a tiny voice ringing out from the space at the back of her head that she wished had never come to that conclusion.

* * *

 

Natalia was having a hard time adjusting, but she was adjusting. After the beating from the Winter Soldier, she had been going to the medical ward every day to make sure she healed properly before she started to participate in the more rigorous exercises and drills. For now, she had been delegated to be a kind of mentor for the new recruits, and as she observed the practice matches from the sidelines she called out mistakes and reprimanded sloppiness wherever she saw it. No praise, never praise.

The best way to turn something soft and malleable into a deadly weapon was by putting it through hell and pounding it into perfection. That was what had turned her into the best, and that’s how the Red Room would continue to produce the best.

She tried to ignore Peter and Shuri as much as she could. The Madame had relented slightly after Natalia had interefered, a miracle in itself, and had decided that since both recruits had ample potential that they should get a bit more practice before they were thrown at each other in a match to the death.

That pushed their fight back for another week. Natalia wasn’t going to pick a side, so she decided to focus on all the other recruits and leave them alone. No matter how many times Peter gave her a pleading look or Shuri opened her mouth to ask something, Natalia wasn’t going to cave in. They’d have to do this alone.

Natalia watched from afar as Peter put his opponent in a successful headlock like the one she had tried on the Winter Soldier. The ghost of a smile flit across her lips before Rhodes was falling into place beside her.

“Time to go see Strange,” he told her.

She nodded, moving to follow him, but he only jerked his head towards Okoye who was waiting by the door.

“I’m staying here, but she’ll be taking you,” he said.

Without another word, Natalia made her way towards the door, watching out of the corner of her eye as Shuri elbowed the girl that was holding her and rolled out of the grapple she’d been in. Another great execution, and while it made her proud, it also made Natalia get a bad feeling about their impending match.

“Natalia,” Okoye greeted curtly.

“Okoye,” Natalia returned in kind. There was a stifling silence that fell between them as they walked, but underneath that Natalia felt that dream tugging at the back of her head, reminding her that they were friends. She didn’t entertain the thought for long.

Once they reached the medical ward, they ran into T’Challa and Captain Rogers. There, T’Challa and Natalia were more or less exchanged as Okoye led away a slightly limping T’Challa and Rogers escorted Natalia towards Strange’s medical office.

But once again they turned the corner one hallway too soon, stepping into the first door to the right. A nurse stood beside an examination table, a few simple tools strewn out on the counter beside him.

“And Doctor Strange?” Natalia asked when she saw that no one else was in the room.

“Doctor Strange is busy. He sent me with the instructions to care for your shoulder, Agent Romanova,” the man said.

Natalia tried to hide her disappointment that Strange had yet again avoided treating her by sending over a nurse to handle her injury instead, but she pushed down the feeling as she tugged off her shirt and sat on the bed, holding as still as possible as the daily prodding and poking started, and telling herself that the tears that pricked her eyes were from her aching body and not from the powerlessness she felt in her situation.

* * *

 

Tony didn’t get it right the next time. Or the next. Or the next.

He tried every damn trick in the book. They’d gotten someone to stay behind with Yinsen to make sure he kept up, but all that did was attract more Ten Rings henchmen to Yinsen which only ended with his body riddled with bullet wounds while everyone still escaped.

They’d even tried sending other people to buy time so that Drax and Thor could stay and maybe keep the Ten Rings’ men off their backs more efficiently, but those tries had done nothing but get other people hurt, and they’d almost lost Rocket and Mantis during some of those runs. Tony had gone through so many different versions of the Mark I as he’d decided that maybe someone else needed to use the suit, but all those attempts ended in failure, too. He’d even gotten Yinsen to wear the suit, but that had ended in him staying back and holding everyone off while they all escaped.

Every single time they managed to get out, but it was always at the price of Yinsen’s life - but this time, he was alone each and every time, and Tony was never at his side while he died. It tore Tony up a little more every single time they tried and failed again.

In New York they were faring just as badly. Tony’s mere seconds of hesitation as he frantically came up with a plan since they were thrown in so suddenly every single time had ended in disaster.

Sometimes he came in too quick and without a sharp enough angle and ended up ramming the nuke into Stark Tower. Other times he ended up slamming into the nuke and setting it off because he’d gone at it with too much force. Even when Thor had tried it had ended in a premature explosion that had atomized everyone.

Those seconds of hesitation had also cost him his chance to escape on more than one occasion, since he’d gotten the nuke out into space but had gotten it through too late, leaving him stranded in the dead suit.

He hadn’t gotten a chance to talk to Pepper during any one of those times.

When he fought Thanos on Titan, things just kept getting worse. Peter was always the first to jump back into the fray, and when Peter didn’t get hurt then Tony got hurt trying to keep him safe.

No one else ever got close to joining the fight to help them beat Thanos, and every single time Stephen gave up the Time Stone to keep Tony alive, even if in some occasions it still meant Peter had to die.

And the last battle - Tony didn’t like to dwell on that one too much. His cowardice had led to failure upon failure upon failure. There was no way to beat Thanos unless he snapped. He couldn’t think of a solution where he got to walk away from that fight, and all the time he spent trying to scramble for another way to victory gave Thanos just enough time to tear them apart.

Tony kept failing. He kept failing his team, he kept failing his loved ones, he kept failing himself. Time and time again, Tony had to live and relive his darkest moments, and every single time he felt like any semblance of victory was further and further from his grasp.

* * *

 

Gamora shoved Nebula off her, parrying Nebula’s dagger with her own as she jumped to her feet, dodging and jabbing and finally managing to jam the dagger up to the hilt in her metal arm.

The joint whizzed and whirred, sending a shower of sparks as it convulsed before it fell limp to her side, sending her own dagger clattering to the floor. Nebula howled in pain, wrapping her good hand on the hilt and trying to pull it out before it caused any more damage.

Not wanting to give her any time to breathe or get better, Gamora went in for a roundhouse kick that she was almost positive would knock her out (she’d knocked her out over a dozen times with the exact move on multiple go throughs of the trial) but before she could land the blow Gamora was being dragged back.

“I was - no, no they were taking care of you!” Gamora shouted, the wild panic that never failed to appear getting the better of her as she was yanked away from her sister and towards her death. She hit Thanos with as much might as she could muster, taking in his barely bloodied face. They’d barely managed to give him a scratch.

“You know that no one is my equal in combat,” Thanos said, sounding almost bored. He glared down at Gamora. “Despite your betrayal being disappointing, the biggest disappointment is how you clearly aren’t as smart as I always believed you were.”

Gamora didn’t answer, her fight or flight instinct making his words reach her brain at a sluggish pace as she kept trying to get away. He walked them through the door, where she could smell the awful burnt flesh that made her gag on a sob.

He hauled her up, over the chasm, and despite herself she clung to his hand tightly as he held her there.

“The only people who are anywhere near strong enough to fight me are you and your sister, the two that I have trained as warriors myself.” He shook his head, his frown turning into a sneer, “But even then, neither one of you could single-handedly take me down, even if you had a group of strong rebels by your side.” He looked down at her, at her wide, terrified eyes and her almost pleading expression. “Challenging me in my space, alone, will only lead to this - to your broken, miserable life being consumed by fire.”

And he let her go, but this time she almost let herself fall willingly, too stunned to even move.

She had been coming at it the wrong way all along.

As the flames started to lick up the walls around her as she fell deeper and deeper, Gamora prayed that their next try finally put an end to all of this.

* * *

 

The very next day had been more of the same, except that her trouble adjusting meant that Natalia still had some of the rebelliousness in her, and she refused to kill her opponents in matches and instead merely knocking them unconscious again.

That had led to a pretty brutal beating from Captain Rogers, which was just going to be another addition to the list of fractures and bruises that the nurse she would ultimately end up seeing was going to take care of. She’d given up on seeing Doctor Strange and having him tend to her wounds.

Rhodes walked rather slowly beside her, which she was thankful for since it meant that she didn’t have to strain herself to keep up. Every step hurt, and as they made it to the medical ward she wondered which nurse she would end up meeting today.

“Get in there and make sure that you’re getting better,” Rhodes said gruffly.

As luck would have it, as soon as she walked into the nurses station and Rhodes shut the door behind her, she came face to face with Doctor Strange.

He had a thin finger held up in front of his lips, a signal for quiet, and even though every fiber of her was screaming to attack and subdue and present him to the Madame because whatever this was was clearly out of the norm given his behavior, Natalia knew that was her Red Room training talking. The part of her that still harbored that hope from her dream trusted him.

She stayed quiet. 

“Natasha, we haven’t much time before they grow suspicious -” Doctor Strange began.

“It’s Natalia,” she interrupted.

“Wait - what?” he looked genuinely confused for a second before he shook his head. “No - no, your name’s Natasha, you’re not who the Red Room turned you into.”

Her fists clenched at her side. “I’m exactly what the Red Room turned me into. I’m Natalia Romanova, assassin and Widow and -”

“A member of the Avengers,” Stephen finished for her, stunning her into silence by bringing up what she hadn’t talked about with anyone since the beating after she’d interrupted the fight between Shuri and Peter. “We  _ are _ Avengers, Agent Romanoff.”

She felt her chest tighten as his words sunk in, a soothing balm and a warning alarm all at the same time. “Stephen, I don’t know what to do,” she whispered, tears welling in her eyes. “I thought I was going crazy, I thought - I started to believe it was a dream, I’m not even sure  _ this _ conversation isn’t a dream I’ll wake up from to find out I’m still all alone in this.”

“It’s not,” Stephen assured her. He put a trembling hand on her shoulder gently, aiming to be comforting while also keeping in mind her bruised and battered person. “This - this is the test we have to pass to bring you back. I can’t - I can’t do the things I was able to do as Sorcerer Supreme, something is blocking me, but if we can get through to the others, if we can get all of them to remember -”

“We can fight,” Natasha breathed. “We can fight and get out of here.”

He nodded, relief and concern warring in his face, glad that he and Natasha now seemed to officially have each other’s backs and worried about what they were about to face. “We’re getting you home,” Stephen promised. “And I think our best bet will be the day Shuri and Peter have to fight.”

Natasha swallowed hard. “That’s in almost a week, we have to get everyone back in less than a week.”

“We’re going to figure it out,” Stephen said, letting go of her shoulder as a particularly hard tremor wracked through his hands. “But you also have to get better so we can give it our all in this fight, and as your doctor it's my responsibility to help you get better by then.”

The relief she felt at finding out that she wasn’t alone and Stephen’s light subject-adjacent conversation change brought a smile to Natasha’s face, and for a second she felt a shift in power in her favor, one that she was going to exploit and get the most out of, just like she’d been taught.

She sat down on the examination table, pulling off her shirt to show Stephen the healing bruises and the new ones, and making sure to take in everything he said about how best to take care of herself so that she could be ready to take on the Red Room. And this was a fight to the death that she had every intention to win.

* * *

 

Tony flew the nuke towards the wormhole just as Steve’s voice filtered in through the comm. “Stark,” he started, voice solemn and almost a little sad, “you know that’s a one way trip.”

He’d heard Steve say that sentence so many times that it shouldn’t have fazed him, it shouldn’t have bothered him, but it did, it got to him, but this time on a whole other level as he got completely distracted and ended up angling up too late before the nuke crashed right into Stark Tower.

But in those brief seconds of time between Steve’s words and the nuke going off, Tony realized that this was all a one way trip. He couldn’t retroactively change things and hope for a better ending that would affect  _ his _ outcome. Even when they had gone back in time and changed things, all it did was move them forward in their linear life progression even if they were screwing everything up in the chronological sense of general time.

All he could do was move forward, a one way trip through life, one day after another after another, fight after battle after war, with death being the next step - and now this, this test and it’s outcome being the step after that.

The nuke exploded and everything was shifting, and even though Tony knew what he had to do, he knew he wasn’t going to be able to focus completely on the fights that were coming up, but it was fine.

He was going to take this failure. He needed it so he could see Yinsen and fix things, one last time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how are they gonna pass their trials? Any theories, gang? Did you guys notice the little thing I did with the Red Room scenes? Drop by in the comments and let me know!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! I'll be back as soon as I can! I really hope you guys liked it!
> 
> Now its bedtime for me my brain is pudding right now and sleep is calling to me


	8. Shining Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They finally pull everything together. They get through their trials.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys...first of all, i'd like to apologize for not keeping my promise and finishing it before Far From Home. As soon as I got home everything just got super busy and life happens and I just wasn't able to :( But I'm back now gang, hopefully more consistently!
> 
> Anyway though, to make up for it, here's a chapter that's over 7K words, which I think is the longest I've written for a chapter thus far. It's deadass 3 am and I'm barely finishing it, and I really hope y'all like it. I worked super hard on it all day today. I love you all so much for being patient with me and for all the love and support you've given me. I've done a bunch for this story, and now it's time for me to stick the landing!
> 
> I really hope you guys like it!

“You will head to the fourth quadrant and take out the Laenalaeven sentinels with the group of fighters I have provided. Inform us when that mission is complete and then my ship will follow suit. Do not fail me now, my children.”

“Yes, Father,” Nebula answered, bowing low before the throne.

“We will send word as soon as they have fallen,” Gamora added, giving a curt nod. She’d never been one for bowing.

“Good,” Thanos said, waving his hand in dismissal. “Now go. Do not waste time.”

Nebula stood and walked out, and Gamora walked out right behind her, turning her back on the Mad Titan for the first time since she’d been thrust into the trial. For once, Gamora didn’t feel like she was fleeing - she didn’t feel scared.

They walked in silence, getting to the ship in a few minutes. They split up there, with Nebula going to the controls and Gamora heading straight to the crew. Everyone was already there, looking perfectly healthy but extremely weary and tired. Gamora knew the feeling.

“So,” Scott started, standing up straighter. “What’s the plan?”

Gamora sighed, unsure how to phrase what she was going to say since she didn’t know how everyone would take it. “The plan,” she said, looking down for a second. She rubbed at her wrist, remembering the way Thanos’ hand felt as it dragged her across the ground before he threw her over the edge. The edge of the cliff on Vormir, the edge of the pit to the incinerator - it all made her stomach turn. “You’re all going to stay here,” Gamora finished. “I have to do this - I have to talk to Nebula.”

“The plan is staying here and talking to Nebula?” Sam asked. “That’s what we’re going with this time?”

“Yeah,” Gamora nodded, not wavering in her position. “I need to talk to her, we need her on our side.”

“But she’s been trying to kill us every time we go after Thanos,” Bruce pointed out gently.

“Because we haven’t given her a choice,” Gamora shot back. “We either abandon her, or ambush her, or - or, or fight her. I haven’t ever talked to her and let her decide whether she wants to help us or not, and I need to give my sister that choice.”

Clint didn’t seem wholly convinced, but he didn’t voice his doubts. Instead, he said, “It's the only thing we haven’t tried. We’ve tried a version of almost everything at this point.” He nodded at Gamora. “We’ll be here if you need anything.”

Gamora looked around the room one last time, seeing everyone giving her encouraging looks and nods. She gave them a small nod in return then left the room.

Nebula was still plugging in coordinates and checking things in the control panels when Gamora walked in.

“Did you brief the crew of what their roles will be?” Nebula asked as soon as Gamora was in the room, not turning away from her work.

“I told them the plan,” Gamora answered, which wasn’t a lie. Gamora leaned against the wall, fidgeting with her shirt as she thought of what to say.

Finally Nebula looked at her, seemingly annoyed that Gamora was still there. “Is there something else you need to say or are you just going to keep taking up space?”

“Actually,” Gamora said, standing up straight. She clasped her hands together behind her back, looking down for a second before meeting Nebula’s gaze. “We need to talk. I need help, and you’re the only person that can help me.”

* * *

 

After seeing Stephen, Natasha had spent the rest of the afternoon deciding on who was the best to reach out to. She knew that Shuri seemed to recognize her, and Peter remembered that he was rescuing someone, but Natasha knew that getting to them too soon might just get them killed. As long as they followed the rules they were safe - at least for the next week.

Rhodey was a good option, but he brushed shoulders with other guards and sometimes even with the higher ups, that just seemed too risky.

T’Challa and Okoye would have to be brought in at the same time since they were pretty much inseperable. Getting to one before the other would put them in danger, and while she had gotten to know T’Challa and Okoye during her stint as a fugitive and Okoye even more after the Snap, Natasha still wasn’t sure she could figure out what would bring them both back to themselves at the same time.

Bucky felt like the biggest threat. The Winter Soldier was merciless, deadly - he wouldn’t hesitate to kill them, and he could do it with ease too. Even though she thought she saw him falter when she brought up Steve when she first got thrown back into the Academy, she couldn’t hold out for that hesitation to happen again. She’d seen him fight Steve, she’d fought him herself. All those times he’d been ordered to stop, or he’d been explicitly told not to kill, and yet he was still lethal. When he was completely set loose...Natasha didn’t even want to imagine it. The Academy had Hydra’s hooks in deep in Bucky, and Natasha had a feeling that they needed Steve if they wanted a real chance to get Bucky back.

Which brought her to Steve. Their best option. He was one of her best friends, so she felt like she had what it took to bring him back. And he was strong. He was a super soldier like Bucky. If push came to shove, Steve could take him on and hold his own. She’d seen it years ago and she’d seen it now whenever they made Steve and Bucky train together. He was their best bet against the Winter Soldier. Steve felt like their only bet against his best friend.

Natasha sighed, already feeling a plan start to form. She really hoped nothing serious happened to Bucky or to her, because if something did happen, she knew Steve would never forgive her for putting Bucky in danger just save him - or for getting more blood on Bucky’s hands.

**...**

 

The following morning had been quiet. But then again, it was around three in the morning. No trainees in her part of the Academy were out and about at that hour.

“What do you want, Romanova?” the guard who was posted in her hallway asked.

“To train,” she answered. “I couldn’t sleep, so I think instead of wasting time I should go and train.”

“If that’s what you want,” the guard shrugged. He started walking her to the end of the hall, where one of the patrolling guards was coming around. He handed Natasha off to her. “Take her to the lower levels, where they train. The handlers will take it from there.”

Natasha couldn’t have been more relieved. She was hoping that was the only training facility in use at the hour, and she was right. The elevator ride to the lowest level was short, but it felt eternally long with the silence and with the looming threat of her plan. Natasha wasn’t going to back down though.

As soon as the doors opened and they stepped out, they could see Bucky and Steve fighting each other, no weapons, just straight hand-to-hand combat. Even though Natasha had expected this, she briefly wondered if they ever got a chance to actually rest.

The patrolling guard had a few words with Steve and Bucky’s handlers before she left, leaving Natasha with them. One of the handlers barked out a few orders, and the two super soldiers stopped. He turned to Natasha. “Do you have a preference?”

Shrugging, Natasha tried to seem as nonchalant as possible. “The deadlier one would make for better training.”

Nodding, the handler called out to Rogers to stand down, and ordered the Winter Soldier to fight with the intent to incapacitate, without maiming or killing. Steve went to stand by the back wall, while Bucky merely squared his shoulders.

Then the fighting began.

Natasha lunged at him, dodging a punch and twirling away from a kick, coming behind the Winter Soldier and attempting to grapple him from the back. Bucky elbowed her right in the ribs, making her wince in pain and let go.

She jumped back, just barely getting out of the way as he tried backhanding her. He used the momentum to carry him into a hard punch, but Natasha ducked and used his move against him by grabbing his outstretched arm and going into a roll, bringing him with her and managing to toss him to the ground.

While he seemed unfazed, that small move was enough to get Natasha close, and she quickly whispered the first three words. “Longing. Rusted. Furnace.”

Panic flit over his face for a second before he was scrambling to get back on his feet. Natasha went with him, having shifted into putting him in a headlock, grabbing on tight with her thighs as she leaned in and quietly said the next couple words. “Daybreak. Seventeen. Benign.”

Bucky threw his head back, trying to buck her off, but Natasha wasn’t going to let that happen. He grabbed onto her and yanked her up and over his head, but Natasha hooked her arm behind his shoulder and ducked beneath his arm before he had a chance to throw her straight to the ground. She was standing right behind him, and, as quickly and as quietly as she could, she whispered, “Nine. Homecoming. One. Freight -”

Reaching behind him again, this time Bucky grabbed Natasha and held her there, twisting them around so fast Natasha felt lightheaded before he slammed her up against a wall, knocking the wind out of her. She was dazed, and felt herself grow a little limp, but she still managed to breathe out the last word. “- Car.”

The Winter Soldier froze. He was under her control now.

Only after Stephen had finally validated everything that she had been feeling and saying did Natasha start planning. She had remembered the Winter Soldier’s activation words as soon as she realized how she would get to Steve. Those activation words had also given her another idea.

“Soldier, you have to wake up,” Natasha whispered.

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, and while a brief spark seemed to flicker in his eyes, there was nothing more. It had been a desperate hope, but Natasha hadn’t thought it was going to work.

Time to follow through with the rest of her plan.

Looking around and seeing that no one seemed to have heard her use the words, she swallowed hard. “Soldier, you have to kill me.”

The change was instantaneous. He grabbed Natasha and tossed her across the room like she weighed nothing at all. Natasha really hoped she lived long enough to be able to regret this plan.

Natasha landed with a hard thud, hitting her head on the concrete and jarring her injured shoulder. Steve and the handlers were watching the fight, but none seemed at all worried about it.

Bucky walked towards her, murder in his every step, as Natasha weakly pulled herself up, half pretending to be more injured than she was and half allowing herself to actually lean into the pain she was feeling. She knew she had to start moving to try to get away or the Winter Soldier _would_ kill her, but she had to make it look realistic.

She put herself into a fighting stance, moving to punch Bucky while at the same time dodging his own blow, but he had taken her punch as he feinted with his punch and instead his metal arm shot out, his fingers wrapping around her throat.

His metal fingers dug into her throat, and he squeezed.

Natasha began to kick out as hard as she could, but he was immovable. She could faintly hear the handlers shouting at Bucky to stop, to stand down, but it was no use. He wasn’t going to listen to any of them right now.

Even though Natasha’s vision started to become black around the edges, she could see the handlers starting to come at Bucky with batons, hitting him over and over and over again. He wasn’t letting go, his vice like grip not even going slack for a second.

Two of them brought out things that looked like cattle prods, with electricity crackling loudly at it's tip. They jabbed Bucky with them, and while he shuddered, his hand was still on her throat.

It had to be now or never. “Sol-dier,” Natasha choked out.

Seeing that the batons and the cattle prods were basically useless, one of the handlers pulled out a gun.

Steve finally moved away from the wall.

* * *

 

“We met once, you know,” Yinsen said. “At a technical conference in Bern.”

“Don’t remember,” Tony answered. He knew his lines, knew what he needed to say, what needed to be done.

“Oh, you wouldn’t,” Yinsen replied with a light laugh. “If I had been that drunk, I wouldn’t have been able to stand, much less give a lecture on, ah, integrated circuits.”

“Where are we?” Tony asked, and before Yinsen could give him an answer the Ten Rings were coming through, demanding the weapon and making their threats before leaving, leaving Tony with Yinsen and with the Guardians of the Galaxy. He shot Yinsen an apologetic look before he went over to talk with the group.

“We got a new plan this time around or what?” Rocket cut right to the chase.

Tony frowned, because even though he did have a plan, he didn’t know if they would follow through with it.

“That’s your thinking face,” Quill pointed out, eyes narrowing. “You’ve got a plan, don’t you?”

“I always do, even if they go sideways and it becomes improv after a while,” Tony sighed, taking a seat beside Thor.

“Whatever the plan, we support you,” Mantis assured him, patting him on the shoulder.

Tony drummed his fingers on his knee, once, twice, then he let out the anxious breath that had been caged up in his chest. “I need you all to let me handle this.”

“You’ve been the one who’s been doing most of everything. These are your memories after all,” Thor said.

“No, I mean like - well, yes, you said it, these are my memories, from my perspective, even if some of them are from things we all went through together,” Tony was rambling, rambling because he didn’t want to say what he had to say. But he had to do it so they could all get out. “But you all need to let me handle things, alone.”

“But we’re here to help,” Drax argued. “Why would we be here if it wasn’t to help?”

“I think Drax is right,” Thor agreed. “What’s the point of all of us being here if we’re meant to just - just watch?”

Before Tony could answer, Loki beat him to it. “To give the illusion that things can be changed.” He looked at Tony. “To make you believe that there was another way for these things to end that would have still let you become the Tony Stark that became Iron Man, that became an Avenger.”

“I am Groot,” Groot nodded.

“So this was all just, just some big trick? Have us try and figure out a new solution over and over and over again only to have the actual solution be to just leave things as is?” Rocket asked incredulously.

Groot shrugged. “I am Groot.”

“Yeah, I get it, these things are what made Tony Tony but isn’t that too easy for a trial?” Rocket continued.

“Easy? You think this was easy? To have to go through all of this -” Tony began before Nebula cut him off.

“If it was that easy we would have figured it out our first go around,” Nebula scoffed, before she sighed. “This kind of trial just ensured we’d fail over and over and over again because we’d _want_ to change things. We don’t know how to just...let things go.” She gave Tony a sad look. “We’re here for you, Tony. If you need any help at all.”

No one argued with Nebula. Thor threw an arm around Tony’s shoulders, giving him a small squeeze.

Tony nodded, looking at the ground as he tried to gather himself. “I know what I need to do,” Tony said, his voice shaking a little. He swallowed around the lump in his throat. “I did it right once before. I can do it again.”

* * *

 

Nebula’s eyes narrowed. “You need _my_ help?”

Gamora sighed. She’d been expecting her disbelief. “Yeah,” Gamora nodded, her gaze still fixed on Nebula’s, “I need your help.”

“What do you need help with?” Nebula asked, swiveling her chair around and leaning back, taking Gamora in completely and trying to sense if this was some kind of trick.

Taking the other seat in front of the control console, Gamora turned to her, rocking back and forth in her chair a little before leaning forward. “Before you tell anyone about what I’m asking of you, promise me that you’ll hear me out. That you’ll listen to everything I have to say first.”

Nebula’s eyes narrowed even more. “What’s this about that I would have to promise something like that?”

“Just, please, sister, promise me,” Gamora almost pleaded.

There was a flicker of hesitation in Nebula’s face before she crossed her arms. “Fine,” she finally said. “I promise I’ll hear you out before I tell anyone. Now, what’s this about?”

Gamora let out a pent up breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. This was a step in the right direction, but she wasn’t sure how Nebula would react to what she needed help with. She took a deep breath, and after the exhale when she was sure her voice was steady she answered, “Thanos.”

* * *

 

Steve closed the gap between him and the handler that pulled out the gun, ripping the gun out of his hands and throwing it across the room. The handler looked slightly panicked, pulling out his baton again and trying to hit Steve with it. Steve dodged, then threw a punch right to the man’s temple. He crumpled to the ground without much more of a fight.

Turning around, Natasha could see Steve’s eyes widen. He ran towards Bucky, putting himself between him and the other handlers, and grabbed him from behind, trying to pull him away from Natasha. “Let her go, Buck! Let Nat go!”

Bucky slammed his head back, hitting Steve in the face. Steve swore but didn’t let go, instead standing firmer and trying to pry Bucky away even harder.

Another handler pulled out a knife, going to stab Bucky. Bucky sidestepped, deflecting the blade off his metal arm. With both the handler and Steve working to get Bucky off, his grip slackened a hairsbreadth. It was just enough to Natasha.

“S-stop,” she whispered out. He immediately stopped, dropping her to the ground. Natasha fell forward, thankfully into his chest, where she quietly coughed out, “Obey all the orders you are g-given until I have further orders for you, soldier. But be ready for m-my orders.”

He gave her a long look, but said nothing more as he was ripped away from her by Steve. Natasha collapsed to the ground, her breaths ragged and shaky. She glanced up and could see Steve standing between Bucky and everyone else, looking completely bewildered. She motioned for him weakly to come over, and without any hesitation he was at her side, helping her to her feet.

“Please, read the room and play along. I’ll explain in a little,” Natsha quietly said to him while he had his arm around her.

Steve didn’t respond, but his eyes were clear, his expression guarded but no longer blank. He was back.

**...**

“You could have gotten yourself killed!” Stephen exclaimed, running his shaking hands through his hair.

“I was fine,” Natasha rasped. “I used his activation words, so I could have stopped him whenever I wanted. I just knew Steve would break out of it if Bucky was in danger.”

“But what if I hadn’t, Natasha?” Steve muttered quietly from where he stood by the door.

After the fight, Natasha had assured the handlers that everything had been under control, that the Winter Soldier hadn’t been about to kill her and that it had been a good training session until they’d all gotten involved. The last thing they needed was for Bucky to get sent back to get reconditioned. The handlers had seemed unconvinced that Bucky was still under their control until they had given him a few orders and he carried them out without a hint of hesitation. Steve had been good with his acting too, and when they had assigned him to take Natasha to the medical ward, Natasha could have wept with relief that everything had gone according to plan. Now she just hoped everything else would go as planned.

Steve and Stephen seemed upset that she had almost died, but Natasha just shrugged it off. She was already dead anyway, she didn’t really have much to lose.

“You did though,” Natasha shot back, immediately starting to cough from the soreness of her throat. It was nearing five in the morning at that point, and they had just finished filling in Stephen of the fight and Steve of what they were dealing with.

Stephen handed Natasha a glass of water. “You need to talk a little less, at least for right now. He completely mangled your throat.”

Natasha winced as she felt the coolness of the water slide down as she swallowed. “But we need to come up with a plan to bring someone else back.”

Shaking his head, Stephen sat across from Natasha. “Let’s just please be a bit more careful. I don’t know what’ll happen if we die in this place.”

“No promises, Strange,” Natasha answered, taking another small sip of water.

Steve had his arms crossed, brow furrowed while he thought, when he suddenly patted his chest before reaching into his shirt and pulling out a necklace he had there.

“I didn’t take you for someone that likes jewelry, Rogers,” Stephen commented, noticing the small compass he had around his neck.

“This, I - I had forgotten I had this, when they still had me under their control,” Steve got out, opening up the compass.

Natasha had seen that compass countless times, had seen the picture of Peggy he kept in there, but when he spilled the small beads into his hand, she saw that now it was a picture of Bucky that he kept there. She didn’t point it out. “What are those?” she asked instead.

“Nanoparticles,” Steve answered. “These were Tony’s.” He looked up at them, running his thumb over the small particles. “Do you think if we showed these to Rhodey that he would remember Tony? That it would snap him out?”

“It’s more of a plan than we have as of right now,” Stephen said, his eyes on Steve’s hands. They narrowed slightly. “But why do you have those?”

Steve looked away as he gently put them back in his compass before he shut it. “Pepper gave them to me after Tony…” he trailed off. “She said that she wanted me to have them because I was such good friends with Tony.”

“Emphasis on ‘was’,” Stephen muttered under his breath.

“What’s that supposed to mean, Strange?” Steve asked with a scowl, tucking the compass back in his shirt.

Stephen rolled his eyes. “Do you want me to remind you of the Sokovia Accords? I mean Sure, it’s been a good few years for you, but there are some of us that still haven’t forgotten the way you turned your back on your ‘friend.’”

Steve clenched his fists, swallowing hard in his attempt to keep his voice steady. “Listen here, Strange. You have no idea what you’re talking about, you weren’t involved, you weren’t there, so just stay out of it.”

“Stay out of it?” Stephen repeated, shaking his head. “You act like it was a little disagreement. You _fought_ him, Rogers. You tore the team apart when all he wanted was to keep you all together.”

“All I wanted was to keep everyone safe,” Steve shot back, his breath coming heavy as he fought to stay in control. “Even after all of that, Tony still knew I had his back. He knew all he had to do was call and I would be there. I’d fucking die for Tony and he knew that.”

“You fake bitch,” Stephen spat out as he got to his feet, sending his swivel chair spinning into the wall. He took a step towards Steve, pointing at himself. “I did die for Tony Stark,” he growled, before jabbing a finger into Steve’s chest. “And you almost killed him.”

“Don’t you fucking -” Steve began, grabbing Stephen by the front of his shirt before Natasha shoved her way between them and broke them apart.

“What is your fucking problem?” Natasha shouted, pushing at Steve, then at Stephen, then doubling over to start coughing. “We’re in this fucking hellscape, we don’t know how to get out, and you guys are fighting over what? Who cares more about Tony?” She shook her head, annoyance clear in her voice between her coughs. “Newsflash assholes, we _all_ care about Tony. You’re both risking your lives for him, aren’t you?” she asked.

When all Steve and Stephen did was look stubbornly away from each other, Natasha repeated her question. “Aren’t you?”

“Yeah,” Steve mumbled at the same time that Stephen muttered out a huffed, “Yes.”

Natasha rolled her eyes, turning to Stephen. “Stephen, I get it, you feel guilty about Tony after having seen him die and prove you wrong about him. You’re angry that someone that was supposed to know Tony the way you got to know him after having gone through so many timelines would betray him the way Steve did.”

Then she turned to Steve, “And Steve, you really hurt Tony. Like really, _really_ hurt him. He thought he meant more to you and then you did what you did.” She raised her hand to keep Steve from cutting in as she coughed for a second. “I get why you did it. But the way you did it was wrong. You hurt Tony even more than he was going to be hurting when he found out the truth. He felt like you abandoned him. And it seemed like you guys were on the right path to being friends again, but then...everything happened.”

She looked between both of them. “Steve knows he fucked up, Stephen. You can’t project your guilt onto his own. And you need to apologize to Tony,” she finished with a cough and a pointed look at Steve. “You need to actually talk this out if you really want him to know that you really are sorry and you really do care.”

Steve and Stephen were frozen where they stood, watching her like deer caught in headlights.

“How did you -” Stephen began, but Natasha merely waved his question aside.

“I was there when you basically broke down after you saw Tony again, remember?” she rasped. “And before you even ask,” she added, with a glance at Steve, “You’re one of my best friends. I can read you like a book.” She sighed, moving to sit back in her chair and running a hand over her aching throat. “Now can we please put this on the backburner and bring this back up once we all get out of here and Tony’s with us and can we please figure out what we’re doing?”

Both sheepishly nodded as Stephen retook his seat and Steve straightened himself by the door, and, even though they weren’t really looking at each other, Stephen and Steve did as they were told and the three of them started hashing out details for what their next move was going to be.

**...**

It wasn’t hard for Natasha to get Rhodey alone. After the fight with the Winter Soldier, she was going to the medical ward twice a day to get checked out and to make sure everything was healing well. It had been two days since the fight where Steve walked her or some other guard walked her, but finally, that night, Rhodey was the one assigned to take her to see Doctor Strange.

They walked in silence until they got to the door, and, right before she went inside she put her hand out for Rhodey.

“Could you hold this for me?” she said quietly.

Although Steve hadn’t really wanted to part with the nanoparticles, he had relented to giving them to Natasha so she could eventually give them to Rhodey. She’d been carrying them around everywhere she went, never parting with them as she waited for the perfect opening. Now, in the lonely hallway of the medical ward when they were finally both alone, was the perfect time.

He raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything as he held his hand out.

She dropped them into his open palm.

“What are -” he began to ask, but halfway through she could see the recognition on his face. She could see the light in his eyes shine again. He looked down at his hands, then down at himself, then back at Natasha. “Wait - N-natasha?”

“Oh thank God you’re back,” Natasha sighed loudly, leaning forward and pressing her forehead to his shoulder. “Thank God I didn’t need to almost die to bring you back.”

“Wait, what?” Rhodey asked again, as Natasha opened the door behind her and dragged him into the room.

Stephen was sitting in his chair, watching the two, watching the way Rhodey looked completely lost. “Welcome back Colonel Rhodes. We’ve got some plans we need to make.”

* * *

 

“Say it again,” Yinsen told Tony as he continued to bolt the chest piece into place.

“Forty-one steps straight ahead,” Tony began, knowing the directions by heart.

It wasn’t long before they’d drawn the attention of the Ten Rings, and the Hungarian was shouting at them through the latch in the door. Everything was going to happen quickly after this.

The explosion rocked the cave and shook dust from the ceiling as the doors were blown off their hinges when the men tried to open the door.

“How’d that work?” Tony asked, happy about their tiny victory.

“Oh my goodness,” Yinsen breathed, peeking around to see the gaping hole in the wall. “It worked all right.”

Then he started walking Yinsen through initializing the power sequence. They could hear people running through the caves, running towards them. Tony prayed that everyone would stick to their word and stay out of the fighting, letting him and Yinsen handle things.

Yinsen was looking at the progress bar, stressing and repeating over and over again that they were coming. Then he whispered, “We need more time.”

Tony’s heart dropped. Even though he knew this was what was going to happen, he still didn’t want to go through with it.

“Hey,” Yinsen said, turning to face Tony. Tony already knew what he was going to say. “I’m going to go buy you some time.”

“Stick to the plan,” Tony shouted, even as Yinsen dashed out of sight. “Stick to the plan!” Tony could hear him running away, he could hear the gunfire. “Yinsen!”

Then it was just Tony rushing to the exit of the cave. He fought through the Ten Rings men, shooting and knocking them aside, getting closer and closer to the light he could barely see. Right as he got to half a dozen yards from the cave entrance, he could see Yinsen, injured and bloodied, laying on some sacks.

“Watch out!” Yinsen yelled, giving Tony enough time to sidestep the rocket that was shot his way, and then he retaliated with one of his own, knocking the man that had shot at him under rubble.

Tony quickly made his way to Yinsen, moving some of the rubble that had fallen on him.

“Stark,” Yinsen breathed weakly.

“C’mon, we gotta go. Move with me, c’mon. We got a plan, we need to stick to it,” Tony got out, trying to keep his voice steady.

“This was always the plan, Stark,” Yinsen whispered.

Even though he was fighting back tears, Tony couldn’t stop the small huff of disbelief that escaped his lips. “C’mon, you gotta go see your family, get up.”

Yinsen shook his head. “My family’s dead.” His breaths were coming shallower and shallower. “I’m going to see them now, Stark.”

Taking a deep breath, Tony clenched his jaw to keep from crying.

“It’s okay. I want this,” Yinsen assured him. “I want this,” he repeated. 

Tony gave Yinsen a sad smile, his eyes glassy with tears. “Thank you for saving me.”

“Don’t waste it - don’t waste your life, Stark,” Yinsen breathed out. His chest shuddered one last time, and then he was still.

Choking back a sob, Tony closed his eyes for the briefest of seconds, moving to turn towards the exit of the cave and finish this, but when he opened his eyes, he wasn’t in the cave anymore. He was flying over New York.

* * *

 

Gamora couldn’t bring herself to look at Nebula after she finished explaining everything. Nebula just sat there, quietly taking everything in.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Nebula asked, “Just to be clear, you’re asking we kill our father, so that we can put an end to everything that he’s doing?”

“Yes,” Gamora said quietly, her eyes still on the ground.

“Okay, just wanted to be certain,” Nebula replied, swiveling back to the control panel and punching a few buttons.

Gamora felt her heart sink in her chest. Nebula was calling for backup. She was going to oust her as a traitor. Gamora closed her eyes. She didn’t want to have to see Thanos march up to the ship and drag her off, only to end like it always did, with him killing her and her friends.

* * *

 

It was finally the day of the fight. The day they were going to break free.

They had all decided that the best way to bring back T’Challa, Shuri, and Okoye was by doing it at the same time. Hopefully, something like with Steve would happen and when one of them was in danger the others would come back. They hadn’t been able to come up with any other solution. And as for Bucky...Natasha hoped that he would still listen to her. She wasn’t sure Steve would be able to take him on if Bucky tried to kill him again and if all the other guards went up against Steve at the same time.

Before the match started, they were marched in to watch. It was just like last time. Shuri and Peter were on opposite sides of each other, with Bucky and Steve on the sidelines and multiple guards along the walls, with one of them being Rhodey. The Madame was there, to officiate it all, and there were many trainees and Widows watching too. Natasha, Okoye, and T’Challa were among them, and Natasha knew that Stephen had snuck in along with the Widows as well.

“Now, let us get on with the fight we’ve been waiting for,” the Madame said, going over the rules once more. “Hopefully we will have no interruptions this time around,” she finished, giving Natasha a pointed glance. Natasha kept her face as blank as possible.

“To the death, victor is inducted and loser well - loser is thrown out with the garbage,” the Madame smiled. “Begin!”

And all hell broke loose.

As soon as Peter and Shuri began to charge at each other, Rhodey turned his gun against the guards he was closest to, mowing them down just as Steve jumped between both Shuri and Peter. Natasha broke ranks, running straight for Bucky, and, pointing at Shuri and Peter, shouted, “Soldier, defend them!”

Bucky quickly stepped up beside Steve, his steely gaze locked on the guards along the walls who were scrambling to figure out what was going on. The Widows, on the other hand, had been training for situations like this.

Two of them launched themselves at Natasha, taking her down before Natasha kicked one in the stomach and elbowed the other one in the face, managing to jump back to her feet as another one tried to punch her.

Okoye was going for Steve, while T’Challa was up against Rhodey. Both Steve and Rhodey were struggling since they didn’t want to hurt their friends, but Bucky was having no issue tearing down anyone that came near Shuri and Peter. Stephen, for the most part, had managed to come out of the initial swing of things unscathed, and had even gotten himself a pistol from a fallen guard, one which he shot with surprising accuracy despite his shaking hands.

Things were looking good, they seemed to have taken control of the room, when Natasha looked around frantically. “Where’s the Madame?”

Suddenly, more guards rushed in, followed by more Widows, and the fighting got hard and fast again. Natasha dodged and parried, punched and kicked, ducked and lunged, taking down guard after Widow after guard, but more were already there to take their place. She lost track of the others, only catching glimpses and blurs, seeing Peter holding his own surprisingly well and Steve take down a guard while he still fought Okoye. Rhodey pushed T’Challa aside, shooting two Widows while Bucky threw a guard across the room. Stephen was in a fistfight with a guard, trying to wrestle his weapon away from him. When she saw Shuri, though, she felt her breath stutter in her chest.

A guard had snuck up behind her, one of the crackling cattle prods in his hand, and he stabbed her in the back with it, causing her to howl with pain as she convulsed.

She wanted to run towards her, to get to her, but Okoye was already there, snarling at the guard as she ripped the prod from his hands and stabbed him through the neck with it. “Princess Shuri, please, are you okay?” Natasha could faintly hear Okoye asking, and then T’Challa was there, pulling Shuri close.

Natasha vaulted over a Widow, knocking her down as she went, and came to stand closer to the group. “King T’Challa, General Okoye, are you back with us?” she asked.

“Back with you - Natasha where exactly are we?” Okoye shot back, coming to stand beside her.

“It’s a long story, right now we just have to fight,” Natasha answered, but she couldn’t fight back a smile. They were back.

Their reunion was cut short as Steve was quickly getting overwhelmed, and he frantically shouted out, “Bucky! Buck, I need help!”

Bucky’s head whipped over to the sound of Steve’s voice, growling as he carved a war path between everyone to get to Steve. He tossed a Widow over his shoulder and punched a guard in the face, before he gave Steve a tired smile. “You can never just pick the easy battles, can you?”

Steve felt his eyes well with tears. “When I’ve got you at my back, I know we can win anything.”

From behind them, they could hear Peter shouting and fighting, yelling out, “That’s for Miss Black Widow!” Then there were yelps of pain and muffled curses as Peter shouted, “And that’s for keeping me from Mr. Stark!”

Natasha wanted to cheer. They were all free. Now all that was left was winning the fight.

* * *

 

Tony didn’t hesitate this time as he flew the nuke into the giant hole in the sky. He didn’t hesitate, but he did wistfully see Pepper’s picture while JARVIS called her, watched it fizzle out when his suit gave up in space. But as soon as he fell through the hole and he was falling down to the earth, everything was already shifting.

He was on Titan, fighting Thanos, getting a drop of blood only to get stabbed clean through. Even though it hurt, Tony watched as Stephen gave up the Time Stone for him. He didn’t even get a chance to look at Stephen before things were already changing around him, taking him to the endgame.

* * *

 

The ship lurched forward, and Gamora opened her eyes to see that the ship was moving away from Thanos’ mother ship, flying away without any alarm or any sign of pursuit.

“Nebula, what - where are we going?” Gamora asked, confused.

“To the fourth quadrant,” Nebula answered, turning back to her.

“But aren’t you going to tell Thanos about my betrayal?” Gamora continued, looking at her sister quizzically.

“Why would I do that?” Nebula asked in turn.

Gamora shrugged. “I just - we’re going to the fourth quadrant, isn’t it to do the job he wants us to do?”

Nebula rolled her eyes as she shook her head. “Sister, I truly did think you were smarter than that. What did you expect, for us to tear through Thanos’ ship, guns blazing?” She shook her head again. “That would be suicide. What we need now are allies, others that will fight him to take him down.”

“To take him down?” Gamora repeated.

“Yes, Gamora, to take him down. That’s what you needed help with, isn’t it?” Nebula asked.

Gamora nodded. “So does that mean -”

Nebula let out an exasperated sigh. “Yes, Gamora, that means I’m going to help you. You would never be able to take him down alone.” She bumped her knee to Gamora’s giving her the ghost of a smile. “I think this is one of the first things we’ll be doing together as sisters, and not because Thanos told us to.” She turned away, going back to the control console as she navigated them through space. “It’s nice.”

“Yeah,” Gamora agreed, feeling a huge weight lift off her shoulders as tears pricked her eyes. “It is nice.”

* * *

 

Even though everyone was back, even though they were all fighting as hard as they could, Natasha knew it was a losing battle. They were outnumbered and overwhelmed, and it wouldn’t take long before they managed to take everyone out. They were too strong, too powerful.

“We’re not getting out of this one,” Rhodey called out as he slammed his rifle down on someone, having finally ran out of bullets. He tossed the bloodied gun to the side, pulling out a small knife. “Nat, they’re going to take us out.”

Bucky was fighting at Natasha’s back, looking around for any place where they could make a hasty exit. “There’s no way this’ll end pretty for us.”

Natasha was thinking the same thing, she knew that they couldn’t win at that point. She hadn’t seen T’Challa or Peter, and Steve had disappeared not too long ago. Natasha didn’t want to admit it, but she felt that maybe they were already gone, and the rest of them would be going down soon too.

“I think you’re right,” Natasha admitted, feeling a lump in her throat. “We lost.”

“We gave them a good fight, though,” Bucky got out, deflecting a bullet with his arm as he swiped with the knife. Sparks flew from where the bullet connected with the metal of his arm, and it gave Natasha an idea.

“But they’re going down with us too,” Natasha growled, suddenly feeling reinvigorated. “We’re taking them out with us.”

Bucky shot her a questioning glance over his shoulder, to which Natasha only responded with one word: “Fire.”

He immediately understood what she meant, and as they continued fighting, Natasha managed to tear a cattle prod from one of the guards, just as Bucky punched a hole clean through the wall, exposing the electrical wiring and some of the wooden supports that some of the interior walls were made of. The outer walls were all iron and steel.

The place as going to go up in flames, and the metal was going to turn it into a furnace.

Without hesitating, Natasha stabbed the prod into the wall.

There was a loud pop, a low sizzle, and then they were knocked back as the flames almost instantly took hold, sending a torrent of flame shooting up the wall. The flames licked up to the ceiling, the incinerated wiring carrying the fire deeper into the building.

People shouted and ran, while some still fought. Natasha barely managed to get back to her feet and get out of the way from being kicked down again, and held her ground as she fought and the fire spread out around her.

She could see the Madame out of the corner of her eye. She looked frazzled, frustrated, scared - she looked powerless. Natasha turned to her and screamed, “If I die, I’m taking you out with me.” And she lunged at her. 

* * *

 

Stephen was holding up one finger, and Tony knew what he had to do. Without hesitation, he charged the Mad Titan.

It was brief, quick, a scrabble just to get close to Thanos, but it was all Tony needed to get what he needed to end it all.

“I am inevitable!” Thanos shouted.

Tony didn’t back down. “I am Iron Man,” he said, the line that had started it all, now here to end it. Once and for all this time. Then he snapped his fingers.

There was a brilliant flash, and everything went white.

* * *

 

_“Space for decisions was taken. Power was found in oneself. Time as it happened was accepted. You have passed the trials._

_“You have earned to live the reality that was meant for you, the one we have seen in your mind. You have earned these lives. Enjoy it.”_

* * *

 

“I can’t believe you had to go through that over and over again,” Pepper said, holding tightly onto Tony.

Tony looked down at her, blinking a few times as he focused on her face, taking her in. She was absolutely breathtaking. “Yeah, it-it was rough,” he got out.

“But you’re home now, and that’s what matters,” Pepper added, giving him a reassuring smile as she tucked herself back under Tony’s chin, laying her head down on his chest.

They were watching some movie Tony wasn’t paying attention to, cuddling on the couch, the midmorning sun streaming in through the half open curtains. It felt great, it felt beautiful, it was -

Rushing footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs and suddenly Morgan was stumbling in, holding her backpack tightly in her hands. “I just saw Happy’s car outside!” she exclaimed.

Pepper pulled herself up a little, looking over at their daughter. “You ready to go hang out with Peter and Harley?”

Morgan nodded excitedly. “We’re going to the museum, and then to the park, and then we’re going to get ice cream!”

There was a knock on the door, just two quick raps that were interrupted as Morgan raced over and pulled open the door. “Happy! Are they with you?” they could hear her ask.

“They’re just waiting for you, kiddo,” Happy answered.

Tony expected to hear the door shut, but instead he heard her quick footsteps as she ran back inside, throwing herself onto her parents and pulling them in for a hug.

“I’m going to bring you both back some ice cream!” she promised. “I love you, mom,” she said quickly, punctuating the sentence with a kiss. “I love you, dad,” she finished, also giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Bye!”

And then she was gone, the door slamming shut as she excitedly ran off to have a fun day out with Peter and Harley.

Tony relaxed into Pepper, letting his eyes drift shut as he reveled in the feel of her in his arms. It felt like home.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> eyyyy so what'd y'all think? Did you like it? I honestly had to include the infamous "I did die for him you fake bitch" from the whole The Bachelor Tony Stark edition. Y'all need to see mrsgingles art on tumblr for that au, its honestly gold
> 
> anywho, yeah, this chapter killed me in more ways than one, and I really hope you guys like it! Comments are my life blood, and kudos make me smile! I'll be back as soon as possible with more. 
> 
> But our babies passed! They finished the trials! I can collapse into bed knowing they finished it! It's great, isn't it? This is what they've been working towards! My brain is honestly pudding, i'm giddy from finishing the chapter and exhausted from lack of sleep, so imma knock out gang
> 
> See you as soon as possible!


	9. Soft Starlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are easing into their rightful spot for everyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My babies deserve to be happy and I'm here to deliver baybeee
> 
> I really hope you guys like this chapter! It's a little short compared to chapter 8 but I mean c'mon all my chapters are now gonna be short compared to chapter 8 T.T
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

“Waiting for him to get here?”

Natasha looked away from her phone, glancing over at Laura as she stirred pasta for dinner later. “I-I guess so,” Natasha admitted, setting her phone down on the counter. She didn’t even realize when she’d picked it up.

Laura smiled, continuing in her stirring. “He’ll be here, don’t worry. Bruce gave you his word, didn’t he?”

“Yeah,” Natasha sighed, leaning forward and laying her head on the counter by her phone. “Things have just been, I don’t know, they’ve been -”

“Hectic?” Laura supplied, turning back to the other pots and pans on the stove.

Natasha nodded, “Hectic.” Coming back had been a blur, everything had happened so fast that she couldn’t even separate the details clearly. Today had been the first day Natasha had been able to have a breather.

The door to the kitchen opened, and Cooper poked his head in. “Lila said if the matches are in here? Dad’s trying to turn on the grill with his arrows again.”

Laura opened up a drawer by the sink, pulling out a small box and handing it over to Natasha, who reached over and gave them to Cooper.

“Please get them to him before he manages to burn the barn down,” Laura sighed.

“Tell Lila to hide his arrows,” Natasha added before Cooper left. He threw her a small smile before the door shut completely, and they could both hear him shouting that he’d found matches.

“I’m just glad I took away the explosive ones,” Laura mumbled under her breath.

Natasha laughed, finally feeling at ease. She was safe, she was home, and she was going to be having dinner with her best friend and his family. Things finally felt right.

* * *

 

Gamora sat up, immediately feeling something holding her back in her chair. Giving a panicked look around, she saw that her dagger was in it's sheath on her thigh, and she quickly pulled it out, starting to set to work on the binding around her middle. She had just started to saw at it when a gentle hand landed on her shoulder.

“What are you - whoa, jeez, you coulda taken my hand off there,” Quill yelped, jumping back when Gamora slashed out with her dagger.

She stared up at him in shock, dropping the dagger to the ground. “Peter?” she asked, voice thick.

“Yeah, it’s me,” Quill answered. He slowly stepped closer, then crossed the distance between them to kneel in front of her chair, reaching out for her hesitantly. “Hey - hey, hey, hey - no, it’s okay, don’t cry, you didn’t hurt me or anything.”

“Peter, I - how -” Gamora whispered as tears ran down her face. “Peter, how am I here? What am I doing here?”

His brow furrowed in confusion until he gave a small sigh when he seemed to realize what she was referring to. He put a hand over hers. “It’s been a while since that, Gamora. You’ve been home with us since we got you back.”

Gamora searched his face in confusion for a second before she remembered where she was and what had happened. She was on the Milano, home, with everyone after everything that they’d gone through. A rush of memories, almost seeming disjointed as they all quickly flashed through as she remembered. They all settled into her memory, loosening the panic in her chest and letting her breathe easier.

She gave him a sad smile. “I’m sorry, I just forget sometimes.”

Peter wiped her tears away. “It’s okay, I’m right here to remind you every single time.” He then moved his hands to the clasp that unhooked the seatbelt that was holding her down, then picked up the dagger she’d dropped. “I told you to go to bed, but you were sure you could stay up with me while we went through that rough patch - and I mean, I clearly did a good job if you were able to fall asleep on me like that.” He handed her the dagger.

“I didn’t think I was tired,” Gamora sheepishly responded, sheathing her dagger before rubbing sleepily at her eyes once Peter had her unbuckled. She got up, stretching and giving a small yawn.

“Looks like you’re still tired,” Quill pointed out, leaning against the chair beside hers.

“A little bit,” Gamora admitted. “I think going to bed is a good idea,” she finished, and started heading towards her room.

“Wait, are you,” Peter started, then, when Gamora turned back, averted his gaze. “Are you going to your old room?”

“My old room?” she asked, stopping by the door that would take her out of the cockpit.

“Yeah,” Peter said, still avoiding her gaze. “You know, the one that you shared with Nebula for a while once she was finally on the ship with us.” He shifted a little as he fidgeted with the edge of his jacket. “You’d been staying with me for a while now.”

Gamora watched Peter, noticing how shy and unsure he looked. It was so different from Starlord, from the usual confidence and swagger he possessed (even if it was based on foolish plans and idiotic amounts of bravery). He looked vulnerable.

She walked over to Peter, leaning in to give him a soft kiss on the cheek. “I’ll stay with you,” she assured him. She felt a little bad that she hadn’t remembered that, but she felt that maybe after a good night’s sleep she’d be thinking clearer, and her memory wouldn’t be as foggy. She didn’t want Peter to know though, and she knew she could play it off. “I just didn’t think you’d ask me.”

“You know I always want you!” Peter quickly answered. “I mean, well that’s not a lie but I didn’t mean it like that right now - I mean that you know I always love to sleep with you!” He turned bright red. “Fuck - no, I mean, I mean -”

“Peter - Peter, it’s okay,” Gamora cut in, leaning against him as she laughed at his rambling. “I understand.”

He wrapped his arms around her in a loose hug, leaning his head against hers. “I just like waking up and seeing you next to me.”

Gamora felt a deep ache in her chest, a pang of longing that was being soothed. “Let’s go to bed then,” she murmured.

“Rocket!” Peter shouted, already pulling Gamora back with him, heading towards the door that would lead them to his room. “You’re in charge til I’m back out!”

She couldn’t fight the smile that tugged on her lips, not when she was home with her family, and everything was how it should be.

* * *

 

Blinking slowly awake, the first thing Steve saw was the light streaming in through the thin blinds. Rolling over, Steve snuggled further into his blankets, hoping to catch a few more minutes of sleep. Whatever precious seconds he could afford to take for himself, that was all he wanted.

“Jeez, soldier, I didn’t know Erskine’s serum didn’t take care of hangovers,” a teasing voice called out from the other side of the room.

“‘M not hungover, Peggy” Steve grumbled, stubbornly staying in bed.

He could hear her laugh her obvious disagreement, the sound drifting out of the room.

It took another second or two before the sound and the person and the thin blinds and the room all hit him and suddenly he was out of bed, running after Peggy, slipping and almost tumbling after her as she went down the stairs.

“Peggy - what, what - how am I here? What - what happened?” He asked, righting himself in front of her.

She eyed him curiously. “Well, James brought you back home real late last night. Said you basically emptied out the pub downtown.” She gave him an amused smile as she made her way to the kitchen, “You were barely coherent, and as soon as you got to bed you fell right to sleep.”

“Wait Ja- Bucky - Bucky’s here?” Steve got out in a rush, following hot on Peggy’s heels.

“Yes, he’s here,” Peggy answered as she fixed herself a cup of coffee before work. “But I mean, he’s not  _ here _ here, he wasn’t nearly as drunk as you were so he didn’t need to stay on our sofa again. He’s back home.”

Steve couldn’t stop the hammering in his chest, the trickle of dread and panic and confusion that crawled up his spine. “But how are we  _ here, _ Peggy?”

Peggy paused in her movements, turning around and looking at Steve with a sharp eye. She took a cautious step forward. “Are you having a flashback, Steve?”

“No, Peggy, I’m not - I - I - I don’t know how I got here, how  _ we _ got here, Bucky and I weren’t here, we were fighting, Strange was there and so was T’Challa and - and Nat and Peter! We were all fighting together -  _ why am I here _ ?” he asked desperately, his voice going hoarse from nerves.

Slowly moving towards him, she raised both hands in front of her. “The war’s over, Steve,” she started gently. “We’ve been living in this house since we got married, a few years after the war.” She waved her left hand, and sitting on her ring finger was a gold band.

As soon as he saw it, Steve could feel the gold band on his own finger. He felt like he was suffocating.

“James moved in next door not too long after we got this place,” she continued. “You both see each other almost every day, and sometimes - like last night - you go out with him and the boys for some drinks.” She had finally gotten to him, putting a soft hand on his chest. “The war’s been over for years now.”

Steve wanted to say that he wasn’t talking about the war, he wanted to shake his head and show her that she was wrong, that that wasn’t true, but he could see it, he could see that it’d been years since the war she was talking about. He could see it in the few streaks of silver in her hair, could see it in the laughter lines around her eyes. He could see it in the house, in the small glimpse he’d gotten of it as he’d ran down the stairs. It was the same house he’d lived in with her when he’d gone back, but it was older, and it had all the signs of wear and tear that came with being lived in for so long. He could feel it, the weight of the years, on his ring finger.

All the fight left him, but he couldn’t meet her gaze.

She pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek. “Get some rest, okay? I’ll be back later, after work.” Steve gave her a tiny nod. “But if you need anything, you know James is right next door.”

Once again, just a small nod.

Peggy glanced down at her watch, noticing the time, and gave him one last kiss on the cheek before she was heading for the door. “Drink some coffee, that might help,” she tossed over her shoulder, and she was gone.

Steve stood there, staring at the kitchen tile for what felt like an eternity before he decided that he needed to go next door, he needed to see Bucky, he needed to know that he wasn’t crazy, that everything had happened, that this wasn’t just some feverish dream that his brain had concocted.

Not bothering to even put on shoes, Steve quickly crossed over the beautifully manicured lawns from Peggy’s white picket fence house to the quaint brick-trimmed house next door, getting the pants legs of his pajama pants wet with the early morning dew.

He knocked once, twice, and was considering knocking a third time when a tiny brunette opened the door.

“Oh, Steve! I didn’t expect you’d be up so early after last night!” she exclaimed. She was wearing a men’s button up shirt like a robe, wrapping it around herself. Her hair was still messy from bed.

Wanting to kick himself because he had  _ clearly _ woken his neighbor up because he  _ clearly _ had the wrong house, Steve was about to start spewing apologies when there was shuffling behind the woman.

“Dot, I’ve got it from here,” Bucky said as he came to stand behind her, holding the door open further while he braced himself against the doorframe.

“Buck,” Steve breathed, taking him in, the sight of him being enough to knock the breath from his lungs and leave him with a lump in his throat. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, and his hair was cut short, but what made Steve feel like his heart hit the ground was when he saw that where the metal met Bucky’s left shoulder there was nothing but smooth, unmarred skin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy happy heroes back home and where they should be :)
> 
> I hope you guys liked the chapter! Comments and kudos make my life and they're always greatly appreciated! Thank you so much to everyone for sticking around and I'll see you all in the next chapter!


	10. Shooting Star

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone's settling into the happy ending they've wanted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyyyy so here's chapter 10! Also surprisingly long! I really hope you guys like it, I was going to try and finish it last night but gang I was not at my best after having taken my sister to Twice Lights, ya girl was burnt out from the long drive back home
> 
>  
> 
> And so I finished it today! Let me tell you, there was a part in here that made me choke up, y'all will know what i'm talking about when you see it ;)
> 
>  
> 
> Welllll, without further ado, enjoy my loves!

Dot looked between Bucky and Steve before she ducked down under Bucky’s arm. “I think he’s a little hungover,” she whispered as she made her way back inside the house.

Bucky didn’t say anything as he stepped outside, shutting the door behind him. “So,” he said, crossing his arms, “you drank too much last night.”

“No, I-” Steve started to deny, before he shook his head and dropped his voice to a whisper. “Bucky, please tell me you remember everything. Please tell me I’m not going crazy and that you remember Vormir.”

A look of absolute relief crossed Bucky’s face. “I thought I was the only one,” he admitted quietly. He glanced over at the house next door. “That ones yours, right?”

Steve wasn’t sure how exactly to answer that, but decided to just nod.

“Peggy home?”

“She just left for work,” Steve told him.

“Then let’s talk over there,” Bucky said, throwing a look over his shoulder. “I think Dot should be getting ready for work too, but this can’t really wait.” He started to cross over their lawns without waiting for Steve to respond.

Steve followed him, his eyes running over his short cropped hair and the slope of his shoulders and the expanse of his back, his eyes searching for the scarring, the metal that was his left arm. He thought of the shirt Dot had been wearing, the men’s shirt that was clearly Bucky’s, the bedhead that had come from sleeping with him.

They got to his front door, and Bucky waited for him to open it before they both stepped inside. Bucky turned to him, but before Bucky could say anything, Steve blurted out, “Are you and Dot married?”

Bucky looked taken off guard by the question, but he shook his head. “I don’t think so, I think we’re ‘together’ but I don’t think we’re married. Why, are you and Peggy -” Bucky began, but then he glanced down at Steve’s hands and stopped, noticing the gold band.

“Yeah,” Steve answered, looking away, covering his left hand with his right. “We are, apparently.”

“Right, okay,” Bucky said, nodding. “Yeah, that seems about right.”

The silence that followed sat heavily between them. Steve didn’t know what to say, and it seemed like Bucky was equally at a loss for words. But, like always, Bucky had always been better with words, so he reached for his left shoulder and gingerly held it, saying, “I’m sure you’ve noticed I don’t have a metal arm since you keep looking at it.”

Steve felt himself grow scarlet when he realized that Bucky had noticed him looking, but he told himself he had  _ just _ been looking because Bucky had his real arm. That was it. That was the only thing he had been looking at. Steve nodded, clearing his throat before he asked, “Why though? Why is this happening?”

Bucky looked down, slowly rolling his shoulder. “I think it's because we won.”

“We won?” Steve repeated, not sure he understood what Bucky was talking about.

“Yeah,” Bucky nodded. “We won. We beat the trial.” He finally gave Steve a small smile. “I think we brought them back, Steve.”

Even though Steve wanted to be happy, even though he wanted to revel in the feeling of having beat the trial and brought his friends back, he couldn’t help but feel his heart sink. “But why are we here?”

Looking away again, Bucky answered, “We’re getting a second chance.”

“A second chance at what?” Steve asked, feeling his pulse start to pick up. He almost wished Bucky didn’t have an answer.

“We’re getting a second chance at the lives we should have had,” Bucky said, his shoulders sagging. “That’s why we’re back, that’s why you’re with Peggy and I’m with Dot and I didn’t lose my arm because I didn’t fall off that train and you’re here because you didn’t crash into the ice so you didn’t disappear and I wasn’t captured -” he stopped himself, taking a shaky breath.

Steve stepped closer, putting his hands on Bucky’s shoulders, startling Bucky into looking at him just as much as Steve startled himself with his actions. “But this - this isn’t home anymore, we - we should be back there, with  _ them _ ,” Steve pressed. Bucky felt warm and solid beneath his hands. “This,” Steve said, putting a hand on Bucky’s cheek, “feels right. But this,” he waved his other hand around them, motioning to the house and everything else, “doesn’t.”

Bucky leaned into the touch, leaned towards Steve, but stopped and closed his eyes. “You’ve got the wife you always wanted and your best friend by your side,” Bucky whispered, sounding pained. “This is your happy ending.”

“But Buck -”

“This is what you wanted, Steve,” Bucky said again, opening his eyes. “You came back for this, then went back because it didn’t feel right, but that’s because you missed your best friend. Now you’ve got both of us. You got the girl and you got your best friend. This is it for you.”

Steve wanted to argue, wanted to tell Bucky that Peggy wasn’t it for him, and Bucky could clearly see it because he cut in before Steve could say anything.

“We both just need to get used to being back. You’ll be happy in no time,” Bucky assured him.

“But what about you?” Steve whispered.

Bucky gave him a watery smile. “All I’ve wanted since we were kids was to see you happy, Stevie.” He leaned into Steve’s hand for a fraction of a second before he finally pulled away. “We just both have to get used to this.”

Steve still had his hand outstretched, tears pricking his eyes as he watched Bucky put distance between the two of them as he leaned against the wall. “Is this what you want?” Steve asked quietly.

“It’s what the stone seems to have seen that we  _ both _ want,” Bucky answered. He looked away. “Let’s just drop it for now. Besides, we’ve got something else I think we should get ready for.”

* * *

 

Peter fiddled with his web shooters, trying to fix the jam that was blocking the exit port. It wasn’t anything hard to take care of - he honestly didn’t even need to fix it since the Iron Spider suit was 100% functional - but he liked to wear the little shooters as bracelets. He just knew you could never be too careful.

Besides, going through the motions of fixing it felt good. It was a good outlet for letting out any nervous, jittery energy.

The small handheld console that had been sitting on the worktable chimed to life, showing Tony’s smiling face on the screen as he started a video call.

“Hey, kid!” he called out. “You awake there?”

“Yeah, I’m awake Mr. Stark,” Peter said, sitting the console up so that Tony could see him and the work station. “Just tweaking with a few things.”

“It’d just been so quiet down there, I thought you’d knocked out,” Tony commented, readjusting the screen on his end. Tony peered a little closer. “Do you want me to check that out for you, Peter?”

“No, it’s okay,” Peter answered. “Nothing’s really wrong with it - it’s a simple fix - I just, I don’t know, I like figuring out how to make it better.”

Off screen, Peter could hear someone sigh before Pepper came into view beside Tony. “You’re starting to sound like Tony,” she smiled, and while it was clear she wanted to sound annoyed, the only thing that could be heard in her voice was how fond she was.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Tony grumbled, feigning offence.

Pepper only rolled her eyes, leaning closer to Tony. “Don’t be down there too long though,” she told Peter. “Happy’s about to head out to go pick up May so that we can all have dinner together.”

“I’ll be up in a little,” Peter promised. “Just gotta finish this.”

Tony jumped in then. “I’ll just head down to get you, kid, no rush.” He then nudged Pepper’s shoulder. “We’ll leave you since I know genius works best when it's uninterrupted.” Cue another eye roll from Pepper. “We’re upstairs if you need us, just have FRIDAY call us down,” Tony finished with a grin.

The handheld went dark, and Peter couldn’t fight off the smile as he glanced up, where he knew Tony and Pepper and Morgan were. Happy was on his way to get May, and they’d all be having dinner - they’d all be moving further and further away from what had happened, and they could enjoy being together. Peter could enjoy finally being with his family.

With that happy thought bolstering his spirits, Peter continued his tinkering, not worried about losing track of time since Tony would come down to get him.

* * *

 

“Stop showing off, Strange,” Nic scolded as Strange took the scalpel from him.

Strange rolled his eyes. “Stop talking Nicodemus, you can’t focus and talk at the same time.”

“And you can?” he shot back.

“Of course,” Strange answered, concentrating the lamp light on a small part of the exposed tissue of the arms they were operating on. “So zip it and be ready for my instructions.”

Nic stayed quiet.

Stephen was glad that the surgical mask covered his smirk. He didn’t think it’d be professional etiquette to look so cocky in front of the interns that were observing the surgery.

He picked up the needle forceps, and moved to extract the glass and bone shards that had mangled the arms of the car accident victim.

* * *

 

Getting the grill going - and not burning down the farm, thank you very much - Clint was now starting to place the burger patties and hot dogs on to start to cook. He instinctively flinched away when he started to hear the sizzle and smell the burning meat, but he shook his head, shaking the memory away.

He was home. He wasn’t on the ship anymore. This was part of the dinner that they were cooking. This wasn’t the smell of his friends getting incinerated.

“Come help me set the table,” Lila called out to Cooper and Nathaniel who were playing around with a soccer ball. “Mom and Aunt Nat are almost done with the food inside! We need the table to be ready!”

Cooper groaned but did as told, with Nathaniel following and helping too.

Clint smiled, finding it easier to forget about the distressing memories of the trial. They were just tricks in his mind, nothing real, no matter how real it felt.

“Hey, kids, will you help bring out some of the things from inside?” Natasha asked, leaning out of the back door. “We’re about done in here.”

Nathaniel and Lila both ran towards the door, leaving Cooper to finish setting up the table. That’s what this was all for, Clint thought. To bring Natasha back, to keep his family together. After giving so much, it was about time they finally got to enjoy what life had given them too.

* * *

 

“The latest reports just came in, sir, and it's looking like our newest strategy is working,” Maria said as she walked beside Fury, opening up a few files and showing him what she was talking about.

Fury glanced over the documents, quickly finding the key stats that would confirm what Agent Hill was saying. “I knew that intervention programs would be what would make a difference when it came to stopping super powered fuckers from wanting to take over the world. Their stupid reactionary ones never work,” Fury grumbled. “But did the UN ever listen? Those fucking assholes should be glad that I took matters into my own hands here at SHIELD.”

They continued walking at a brisk pace, heading straight for the training area where they knew Sam and Rhodey would be. Maria had roughly estimated that the UN security council meeting would go over their scheduled time by about two hours, but it had managed to go over another hour, and whenever Sam and Rhodey were left to their own devices they usually ran to spar with each other.

It wasn’t hard to spot them out on the field since they were the only two that included aerial combat in their sparring.

“Wilson, Colonel Rhodes,” Fury called out, standing at the edge of the field.

Both of them slowed in their fighting, flying down and landing right in front of Fury and Maria.

“Fury, Agent Hill,” Sam nodded in greeting as his wings retracted.

War Machine’s armor opened up, and Rhodey stepped out. “It's always good to see you two,” he smiled good naturedly.

While Maria gave them both a smile in return, Fury only rolled his eye. “Whenever I have to see you two here it means we have to talk strategy between SHIELD, the military, and the Avengers.” He turned on his heel, leading them back into the compound. “That’s always a pain, and you both know it.”

“Damn, Fury, you sure do hate our quality time together,” Sam teased.

 “Yeah, I do,” Fury agreed. “Because with you here that means your friends don’t have you to help keep their shit together.” He glanced over his shoulder, watching the two of them, and War Machine, who had started following Rhodey, keep up with him. “You’re the only two that seem to be able to talk sense into Stark and Rogers, so the sooner we get this done, the less likely those idiots can get themselves into trouble.”

Maria bit back a laugh, turning them down a hall. “The conference room with everything that’ll be discussed is this way.”

“And it seems like the one keeping Fury’s shit together is Agent Hill,” Rhodey whispered to Sam.

“I heard that, Colonel,” Fury huffed.

“It’s not like they’re lying,” Maria said, shooting Fury a grin.

Fury rolled his eye, but there was no annoyance in the gesture. Maria could see that for once he actually seemed relaxed. He was in good spirits. Everything was going better than ever. SHIELD was thriving, and it's partnership with the Avengers and the military weren’t getting in the way. After all their hard work, things were finally going right for them.

* * *

 

Wanda woke with a start, feeling as if she’d dreamt that she’d fallen and sitting up straight in bed. She looked around quickly, trying to figure out where she was, noticing the rain hitting the window through the half open curtains and the body laying beside her.

He was staring up at her, his light brown hair messy from sleep. “Did you have a nightmare?” he asked.

“I -” Wanda began, feeling her throat constrict as she fought back tears. She decided to simply nod.

“C’mere, love,” he said gently, reaching out for her.

She fell into his arms, holding on tightly as she began to cry. “Vision - Vision, I - you’re dead, you were dead, he  _ killed _ you -  _ I killed you _ -”

Vision ran his hands up and down her back, trying to be as soothing as possible. “It was just a nightmare, Wanda. That’s all that was.” He pulled back, tapping his forehead. “Princess Shuri got it out in time, remember?”

He took her hand, guiding it to the spot where the Mind Stone used to be. All she could feel was the smooth skin that came with Vision’s human appearance as memories flashed through her mind, memories she’d forgotten about in her fear of her nightmare. Wanda ran her thumb over the spot again, moving then to run her fingers through his hair as she slowly began to calm down.

“We’re okay?” she asked quietly.

“More than okay,” Vision assured her, pulling her in and giving her a small kiss on her forehead. “Let’s try and get some more sleep, shall we? I’ll be here if any other nightmares come along.”

“I don’t think any more nightmares will come along tonight,” Wanda smiled, settling down in his arms. She breathed a sigh of relief. This was exactly where she wanted to be.

* * *

 

Hope and Scott looked over the schematics of the quantum tunnel, making sure everything was just right before they started building it. While Pym Tech was still up and running and Hank and Hope were no longer on the run from the law, they weren’t exactly swimming in cash. All of these components were expensive and hard to come by, and they only had one try with all new parts.

So here they were at Scott’s house, making sure their numbers were perfect.

“I think if we increase the particle accelerator just a smidge it’d get the tunnel open and shut faster,” Scott said, pointing at the equation they had scratched in beside the blueprint of the machine.

“If we do that there’s a threat to the stability of the tunnel when we need to exit the quantum realm, and that’s definitely something we don’t need,” Hope answered, tapping her pencil on the kitchen counter.

“But I can handle it, Hope,” Scott grinned. “I’m the one that’s going in the most for the healing particles, and might I remind you I managed to get out of the quantum realm once without a quantum tunnel. I think I can handle some instability.”

“Maybe you  _ think _ you can handle that,” Hope said, turning away from the schematics and looking at Scott, “but I can’t handle the thought of losing you because of something like a faulty equation.” She then went back to the blueprints, circling the answer to the formula.

Scott’s expression softened. He wrapped an arm around Hope, giving her a kiss to the side of the head. “Love you,” he said quietly.

“Love you, too,” she answered, leaning her head against his, “which is why we’re doing it like this even if it takes a few seconds longer to open and shut the tunnel.”

Before Scott had the chance to give Hope another kiss, there was a soft knock against the door frame. “Dad, I know you’re busy but Miss Hope’s phone is ringing.”

“You know you can always come into the kitchen, peanut,” Scott said, turning to the open door where Cassie was holding out Hope’s phone. Scott froze for a second, staring at Cassie as if he’d seen a ghost.

“Thanks, sweetheart,” Hope smiled, taking the phone and peeking at who it was. It was a picture of her and her mom at a science conference where Hope had gotten a recognition award for her work in the quantum field. She answered it with a quick, “Hey, mom.”

Cassie watched her dad quizzically as Hope stepped past her and out of the kitchen to take the phone call. “Is everything okay, dad?”

Scott shook his head slowly, then shook his head again and nodded. “Yeah, yeah, everything’s perfectly fine, kiddo,” Scott told her, pulling her in for a quick side hug. “Want some ice cream?”

“Yeah!” she exclaimed, rushing toward the fridge and opening up the freezer. While she rummaged around, Scott finally shook away the teenage Cassie from his head.

I must be worrying too much about Cass growing up too fast, Scott thought to himself. But he still had plenty of time before Cassie grew into the girl he saw.

Hope stepped back into the kitchen. “Don’t spoil your appetites too early, mom and dad invited us over for an early birthday lunch for Cassie,” Hope said, a broad smile on her face as Cassie started to cheer that she would be seeing Hank and Janet again.

Scott smiled too. When there was so much to look forward to, so much to plan - especially with Cassie’s 12th birthday right around the corner - Scott didn’t think there was any use in worrying about the future. He needed to enjoy his family right as they were right now.

* * *

 

“You should have seen the look on your face, brother!” Shuri laughed, doubling over as she shook to catch her breath. “You looked so surprised!”

T’Challa lay there in a daze for a second more before he slowly got to his feet, blinking to adjust his eyes to the light in the lab. “How was I supposed to know that was a flash bomb!” he exclaimed.

She pointed at the vibranium sunglasses she was wearing. “You should have asked why I was wearing these inside.” She picked up the empty flash bomb canister from the ground. “But at least now I know that both the bomb and the sunglasses work - so this was a successful experiment!”

He scowled at her, but before he could say anything Okoye was looking down on them from the balcony that overlooked the lab. “Prince T’Challa, Princess Shuri, your father would like to see you in the council chambers.”

Shuri took off her glasses, slipping them to hang from the front of her shirt. “I can’t wait to show these to Baba,” Shuri grinned, grabbing T’Challa by the arm and helping him up the stairs so that he didn’t trip or fall since he still seemed to be having trouble adjusting to seeing everything around him. Maybe the flash bomb had worked a little  _ too _ well.

“This time you could set off the bomb and he could wear the sunglasses,” T’Challa suggested.

“Very funny, brother,” Shuri said back, patting him on the arm. “But I think he’ll take my word for it.”

Okoye shook her head at the siblings, but the quirk of her lips as they curled into a smile wasn’t lost on Shuri.

“Do you know why our father called for us, Okoye?” T’Challa asked, turning to Okoye and trying to focus on her.

“Our king did not tell me why he requested your presence, but I wouldn’t be too worried,” she answered as they walked through the halls of the palace.

T’Challa nodded, finally blinking away the last of the spots in his vision, catching the stifled laughter and hidden smiles that Okoye and Shuri were sharing as Shuri showed Okoye the footage of the experiment with her kimoyo beads. Even though he wanted to be annoyed, he couldn’t help but laugh with them. Moments like these, when he wasn’t stressed about the kingdom and any impending threat to Wakanda, were rare. He just needed to enjoy them as they came, and hopefully they could make their father laugh when Shuri showed him the footage too, extending the moment for just a bit longer.

* * *

 

Thor stared across at Loki, staring at him in confusion, then realization, then amazement before he ran towards his brother and pulled him into a crushing hug. “We’re not in the cave anymore!” he exclaimed.

Loki patted him on the back, caught off guard and unsure and awkward as to how best to respond to the hug. Thor didn’t seem to care though, and he might have hugged him for longer if Bruce hadn’t burst through the door behind them.

“We’re in space!” he shouted. “We’re in space - we’re on the ship!”

“What do you mean we’re in space?” Loki asked, breaking away from the hug.

Bruce pointed at the giant window along the wall. “Just look outside!”

They glanced to where Bruce was pointing, and while Thor took a step closer to the window in awe at the vast expanse of darkness only broken up by the distant twinkling of stars and planets, Loki quickly turned his attention to their immediate surroundings, recognizing the room.

It was Thor’s room, on the Grandmaster’s ship that Loki and Korg and Miek and a handful of the escaped gladiators and prisoners had taken. It was the ship that they had used to rescue the surviving Asgardians from Hela, the ship that was taking them from away from the home that Surtur had destroyed.

This ship was heading towards Earth, towards a second chance for their people to live. This was their second chance at that second chance.

“Thor, I think -” Loki began, turning to his brother, and stopping, stopping to see that Thor was thinner, his beard reduced to stubble, his hair cut short.

The look in Thor’s eyes must have mirrored his own because once again Thor was running up to give him a hug, but this time Banner was there, roped into a group hug.

Loki actually hugged him back. “We get to take them to Earth,” he finished quietly.

“We get to save them,” Thor said, voice thick with unshed tears.

Bruce gave them a small squeeze. “Do you think this means everyone back home is still alive?”

“I think it does,” Thor answered, and Loki and Bruce could both hear the smile in his voice despite how it cracked.

Someone cleared their throat at the door. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything, your majesty.”

Thor pulled away from them with a grin, turning to the man with golden eyes who stood at the door. “You aren’t interrupting anything, Heimdall. Is everything alright?” Just the fact that he could ask his best friend a question like that again made his heart jump to his throat with emotion.

Heimdall nodded. “Everything is just as you left it. Everyone has settled, and we should be reaching Earth within a few days.”

“Let’s see how everyone reacts to having me back on Earth,” Loki mused, bumping his shoulder to Banner’s.

“You know that after everything you’ve done they’ll warm up to you,” Bruce told him.

Thor watched his brother and Bruce, watched his best friend who was looking at them fondly too. It was just as it should have been, without Thanos showing up to destroy their chances at a good life.

“Well, then, let’s go home,” Thor said, his grin never wavering, but now without tears in his eyes.

* * *

 

Drax stood outside his home, watching the sun set over the mountains. The air was crisp, the day cooling down enough to feel a little chilly.

“It is a beautiful sight.”

He looked beside him, noticing Ovette standing by him, watching the same sunset. She was just as he’d remembered her.

“Yes, it is beautiful,” he agreed, his eyes never leaving Ovette.

“Kimaria said the warrior festivities would begin once the sun set,” she told him.

“Then it is time for us to join them,” he said, moving towards the steps that would lead them down from their house and into the village proper. Ovette followed, keeping close to her husband.

They were able to hear the music and cheer from the village square before they finally saw the dancers and festival goers singing and swaying with each other. Drax and Ovette found a nice bench to sit on, at the edge of the festival, where they could observe quietly, taking everything in.

“I’m so glad you could make it,” Kimaria smiled, finding her parents and giving each of them plates laden with food that had been prepared for the occasion. “I have been helping so much with today’s festival, so I hope you both enjoy yourselves.”

Ovette gave her daughter a gentle squeeze to her hand, while Drax gave her a small nod, both symbols of thanks and wishes of good luck. Kimaria smiled once more before disappearing into the crowd. It was a fun, lively festival, and both Drax and Ovette were loving it, sitting immovable and quiet as they observed the revelry. It reminded Drax of when he’d first seen Ovette.

He took her hand, sliding his fingers between hers, feeling how their palms pressed against each other, fitting perfectly. His heart fluttered in his chest, and he knew that if he was a person who danced, he definitely would. But he wasn’t a dancer, and neither was his Ovette, and as they sat there in silence watching their daughter and the rest of their village people jump and sing and dance, he knew that he was right where he wanted to be.

* * *

 

Peter Quill couldn’t have been more excited to be back on his Milano, out and about in space. Everything had been so nice now that his little family was back together.

Rocket and Groot were still causing trouble, like always, but now Quill felt fond rather than annoyed with their antics. Drax was, well, Drax. Mantis had adjusted quickly and easily at being adopted into the group, and she was great to have as a friend because she always, always understood - and with their merry band of misfits they really did need someone who understood. Nebula, although being terrifying and 100% capable of killing everyone on board, had also adjusted well, helping Rocket and Quill with the maintenance and mechanics of the ship while also being surprisingly good at handling teenage Groot’s sass and sarcasm. And Gamora -

Having Gamora home felt like a breath of fresh air. He hasn’t realized how much guilt was weighing down his shoulders until he’d woken up beside her the first night he’d stayed in her room. Now he was all but moved in with her, and Nebula had started staying in his room since “The room I had been sharing with my sister has grown too crowded.”

Quill sighed happily, glancing over at the spot where Gamora usually slept. She usually woke up earlier than he did, and today was no exception. Climbing out of bed, he tossed on some clean clothes before sleepily walking out of Gamora’s room, making his way to the mess area, humming along to whatever slow jam was playing on the speakers.

“Damn, Quill, you didn’t get enough sleep or something?” Rocket asked as soon as he saw Quill.

“You know I’m not a morning person,” Quill mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

“I am Groot,” Groot said, making Quill snort out a laugh.

“No, Gamora did not keep me up last night.” He nudged him as he walked past him to get some coffee. “Besides, you shouldn’t be thinking like that, Twig. That’s inappropriate.”

Mantis watched Quill for a second, then glanced over at Rocket and Groot. “I don’t think he’s lying.”

“What - of, of course I’m not lying!” Quill sputtered out. “Why would I lie! And this isn’t any of your business anyway,” he finished, hazarding a sip of the coffee he’d made.

Rocket elbowed Mantis lightly, nodding his head over at Quill with a laugh. “Yeah, man, whatever lets you sleep at night.”

Before Quill could shoot something back, Gamora walked into the kitchen with Nebula in tow. “It’s good that you’re finally up,” Gamora commented, giving him a kiss on the cheek and finessing his coffee from him. “I thought I might have to go drag you out of bed,” she said, taking a drink.

“If that was the case, maybe I should have stayed in bed longer,” he grinned, wrapping an arm around Gamora. When he heard the exasperated sighs coming from the rest of the team, he just shook his head, leaning in to give her a peck and then asked, “What’ve you been doing all morning?”

“Losing to me,” Nebula cut in as she plopped herself into the chair across from Rocket and Mantis and sliding the plate of yaro roots closer to her and grabbing one. “I remain the victor of finger football.”

Gamora seemed to want to roll her eyes but instead she pulled away from Quill to give her sister a teasing look. “Just wait until I figure out the technique, then we’ll see who the victor is.”

Nebula lifted her brow. “We’ll see about that,” she finished, taking a bite from her yaro root.

“Peter will help me practice, won’t you, Peter?” Gamora said, already heading out from where she’d come.

“Of course,” Quill answered, following behind.

“Whipped,” Rocket whispered to Mantis, who tried to stifle a giggle.

Gamora ruffled the top of Rocket’s head as she walked by, then put a hand on Mantis’ shoulder, her little way of greeting them, little words and more gestures to show what she felt.

Mantis felt her laughter stutter in her throat. When Gamora touched her, she didn’t feel anything.

* * *

 

Tony pulled Pepper in for another kiss, never feeling like he was getting enough of her. He could feel her smile against his lips, could feel the way her hands landed on his chest, on the spot where the reactor used to be. “I love you,” he said when he pulled back.

“Love you, too,” she responded, eyes bright. She yawned, letting herself snuggle further into bed. “Are you coming to bed soon?”

“Soon,” he promised her. “I just have a few little projects I want to work on. But I’ll be up after I do some work.”

Pepper hummed in response, closing her eyes. “Don’t be up too late.”

“I’ll do my best,” he said, slowly making his way out of the room and quietly shutting the door. He paused for a second, considering just forgetting the project and climbing into bed with Pepper. He hesitated at the door for another second before turning around, heading downstairs and to his dining room table, where he had the beginning components of his work. “Time to do this quick,” he mumbled to himself.

He pulled up the schematics of his project on the holo projector, a different type of web shooters that would let Peter dissolve structures but would be safe on organic material. Tony was fiddling with vials and metal and web substitutes when soft footsteps were heard on the stairs. He glanced up, and there was Morgan, rubbing at her eyes sleepily.

“Hey, sweetheart, what are you doing up this late?” Tony asked, putting down his things.

“The light was on,” she said groggily, swaying where she stood.

“It’s just your old dad working on some stuff for Peter,” Tony told her, stepping around the table and going to take a knee in front of Morgan. “Everything’s okay though. Do you want me to go tuck you in?”

Morgan started nodding before changing her mind and shaking her head. “I can go to bed by myself,” she yawned, giving her dad a small hug. “Make something really, really good for Peter.”

Tony smiled, kissing her on the side of the head. “Of course I will. I love you, sweetheart.”

She was already heading up the stairs slowly, but stopped to give him a sleepy smile. “I love you, too.” 

* * *

 

It was late, really, really late at night. She couldn’t hear any noise from her parents bedroom, and all the lights in the house were dark, but that wasn’t a problem for Morgan. She was pretty sure she could make her way to her dad’s workshop downstairs even in her sleep.

She crept through the living room, past Harley who was snoring softly on the couch. Morgan stopped for a quick second to fix his blanket that had fallen to the floor. Satisfied that he was sufficiently tucked in and sure that he was still sleeping soundly, she continued towards the door at the end of the hall that would lead to Tony’s basement workshop.

As soon as she started down the stairs, the lights slowly turned on, sensing that someone was walking into the lab. Dum-E whirred happily in the corner of the room, moving up and down as Morgan walked right up to him.

“Hi,” she said, patting him on the side. “I couldn’t really sleep again,” she told him, sitting down on the ground beside Dum-E. “But I slept longer today! That’s good, right?”

Dum-E whirred again, moving to hover beside Morgan.

She leaned back against him. “I know you miss him too - like, like everyone else.” She sniffled. “But I feel like you miss him like I do. You miss him like he’s coming home.” She gently started petting Dum-E. “I miss him like he’s coming home, too. But - but, but I -” She swallowed hard, frowning and sniffling some more. “But he’s not coming back.” She pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them as she curled up and started to cry.

Morgan felt Dum-E slowly run him crank arm over the top of her head.

“We’re still waiting for you, dad,” she whispered, starting to shake as she began sobbing. “I-I love you 3000,” she sobbed, falling apart like she’d been doing for the past months, in the middle of the night, all alone except for Dum-E, who made her feel close to Tony in a way nothing else had since he had left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :) Morgan :) Stark :) and :) Dum-E :) are :) too :) pure :) for :) this :) world :)
> 
> also, Steve and Bucky are going to be the death of me like fuck man I made myself sad
> 
> anyway, I feel like I can't say anything more without spoiling what's happening! Although I mean a lot of you were already on the right track from what I was reading in the comments from the last chapter, so you guys seem to know where I'm heading! but I will leave you with one little tid bit:
> 
> have any of you seen Tengen Toppa?
> 
> well guys, i'll be back as soon as possible! I really hope you guys liked the chapter, let me know what you think!


	11. Meteor Shower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Are these their rightful spots?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted to release this on the 31st but now its past midnight :((( here it is though folks!
> 
> sorry it's been a while since the last chapter, these last few days have been hectic! Just know this story has been in my heart this whole time and I've been thinking about it and writing in my head constantly!
> 
> we're moving towards one of the scenes that i've been DYING to write since i started this fic i'm so fucking excited
> 
> I hope you guys like it!

Tony felt as if time stopped for a second, stopped after Morgan told him she loved him. It was simple, four little words that meant the world to him.

But the last word was the wrong one.

She was still smiling groggily at him as a deep ache carved itself into his chest, a gaping hole that had been there all along but that he had refused to acknowledge. It was in his hesitation when he saw Pepper, in the blink of confusion as he’d tried to fill in the blanks of memories that should be but that just weren’t there. And right now, it was as if something was reaching out to him, something pulling at the deepest parts of him, and he couldn’t deny it anymore.

“You’re not my Morgan,” Tony whispered, still on his knee at the foot of the stairs.

Morgan looked down at him, cocking her head to the side. “But I am your Morgan, dad.”

He shook his head as tears began to blur his vision. “You’re not.”

“I am,” Morgan insisted, any trace of grogginess completely vanishing.

Before Tony could say anything, his worst suspicions were confirmed as Pepper stepped out of the hallway, coming to stand at the top of the stairs. She gave him a sad smile. “We could have been happy here, you know.”

* * *

 

It took a few days before Mantis was finally able to catch everyone alone. It was when Quill and Rocket and Nebula were all working on some routine maintenance for the ship, with Groot simply sitting off to the side and handing them tools whenever they asked for them.

Gamora and Drax - unsurprisingly - were not with them.

“We need to talk,” Mantis said, wringing her hands as she nervously glanced around to make sure they weren’t being overheard.

Rocket rolled himself out from under the console. “What’s on your mind, Mantis?” He then held out his hand towards Groot. “Electric wrench.”

Groot did as told, then looked over at Mantis expectantly.

“I think there’s something wrong with Gamora,” Mantis delicately began.

“Wrong with Gamora?” Quill said, his voice muffled from where he was working.

Nebula pulled herself out of where she was working, fixing Mantis with a calculating look. “What’s wrong with Gamora?”

Not wanting to be heard, Mantis went over to the volume control and cranked it up a few notches, just enough so that if anyone wanted to hear her they had to step into the cockpit but still quiet enough where Mantis didn’t have to shout to be heard. 

Mantis took a deep breath as the current song faded into another. She was still unsure of how best to say it but ultimately decided to just get it all out at once. “Gamora’s not real.”

There was a loud thud and a muffled curse as the whole console shook, before Quill pulled himself out from beneath the machinery he was working on. “What do you mean she’s not real?”

From the other side of the console, Nebula was watching Mantis, eyes sharp as they focused on her.

Swallowing hard, Mantis turned to Quill. “I can’t feel her, Peter.”

Quill snorted out a laugh, seeming relieved as he began to crouch down among his work again. “When’d she ever let you feel her, Mantis? This sounds like our same old Gamora to me.”

Nebula was still watching her, clearly knowing that Mantis wasn’t done.

“Could you hand me the plasma cap?” Quill asked, his way of changing the topic and ending the conversation.

It also happened to be the perfect way for Mantis to show him what she was talking about.

She picked up the small circle, handing it over to Quill and letting his fingers graze her palm as he took the piece. Her antennae began to glow, and she quietly said, “You feel relieved and annoyed and nervous and -”

He pulled away from her further even though they were no longer touching. “Mantis, what the hell?”

“Even if I don’t mean to read you,” Mantis began to explain, “I can still feel you whenever we touch. It can be something as small as brushing past each other in the hallway or handing you something but I can  _ feel _ you - I can feel whatever you’re feeling in that short moment.”

“Mantis,” Quill tried to cut in, a warning and a plea all at the same time.

“You’re scared, Peter,” Mantis said, staring him straight in the eye. “You’re scared to hear me because you know I’m right and there’s something wrong and -” She cut herself off, looking down at her hands. “I couldn’t feel her when she touched me, Peter,” she whispered. “She felt like - like nothing.”

Quill was sitting on the ground, watching her, his expression showing too many emotions for Mantis to identify.

“Shouldn’t Drax be here for this conversation?” Rocket asked, saving Quill from saying anything.

“That’s - that’s another thing,” Mantis continued. “I don’t think Drax is here.”

“I am Groot,” Groot said, shaking his head.

“Yeah, that sounds crazy,” Rocket followed up, sitting in front of the console. “He was just with me this morn - wait, no, yesterday -”

Groot frowned. “I am Groot.”

“Was that two days ago?” Rocket questioned, looking frustrated as he tried to concentrate on something that seemed to be slipping his mind.

Nebula sighed, sounding utterly defeated. “You can’t remember because he’d not here. Those memories are false.” She looked over at Mantis. “I-I can’t remember how we got here. I don’t remember moving into Quill’s room or leaving to wherever we’re going. I don’t even know  _ where  _ we’re going.”

“We’re going,” Quill began. He was starting to feel panic swelling in his chest, the cold fear that had come when Mantis said Gamora wasn’t real threatening to overwhelm him. “We’re - we’re going -” he didn’t have an answer.

They fell into silence, reeling at what they were unraveling, the only sound being the music that still played.

_ “Lookin' at you I wanted to say  _

_ “I think a little emotion goes a long, long way-” _

Quill felt a chill run down his spine.

_ “But careful now don't get caught in your dreams _

_ “Look out baby, this is not what it seems!” _

* * *

 

Drax tried his hardest to enjoy the festival, to enjoy how everyone was laughing and dancing and sometimes even making fools of themselves. He saw Kimaria among the crowd a few times, and while he couldn’t keep his eyes off Ovette, his gaze kept drifting skyward.

Now that the stars were out, there was a longing that pulled at him, an ache that grew and felt a lot like mourning every time he laid his eyes on Ovette.

She gave his hand a small squeeze. “The festival is almost over.”

He looked away from the stars, looking instead at Ovette, his beautiful wife and the love of his life. Kimaria and Ovette had been his everything.

A tear rolled down his cheek. “Yes,” he said, a weight dragging down his heart. “This revelry wasn’t going to last forever.”

* * *

 

Loki watched Thor as he talked to Heimdall, as he laughed and greeted others and they happily shared dinner with everyone on board. It almost felt like the feasts at Asgard.

And - much like at those feasts - Loki was more than happy to hang off to the side unbothered while his brother did all the hosting and socializing. Not that Loki wasn’t a good host, but he knew that people were still iffy about him, even if - according to Thor - he had proved himself and shown he was becoming a better person. Besides, there was something at the back of his head that was bothering him.

Thor’s laughter boomed across the dining area as he clapped Valkyrie on the back. While Thor showing his affection like that almost always made the other person stumble, Valkyrie didn’t even budge. She instead gave him a fond punch to the arm in turn.

“Not a fan of the spotlight?” Bruce asked, going over to lean against the wall beside Loki. 

“Of course I love the spotlight,” Loki answered, glancing over at Bruce. “I just know when’s the right time to steal it.” He looked back at Thor. “Right now isn’t the time.”

“Fair enough,” Bruce mused, taking a sip of his drink.

They stood in silence for a beat before Loki frowned, nodding towards Thor. “How many eyes does Thor have?”

Bruce gave Loki a confused look. “Two,” he answered without even looking at Thor.

Loki nodded, feeling that thing at the back of his head start to grow into something akin to dread. “Yeah. He has two eyes - right now, on this ship.”

“Uh huh,” Bruce agreed, still sounding confused.

Rolling his eyes, equal parts frustrated and trying to hide his nervousness, he asked Bruce, “Why does he have two eyes?”

“Well, because Rocket gave him one,” Bruce explained. “But I mean, I guess you wouldn’t know that since he was off with the Guardians when it…” he trailed off, turning to Thor.

That was confirmation enough. The feeling of dread finally solidified as Thor turned around, showing his different colored eyes to them as he waved at them, grinning broadly.

“Oh, gods,” Loki breathed. “This isn’t over yet.”

* * *

 

“Baba!” Shuri exclaimed, running up to their father as they went into the council chambers.

He was standing by the window, staring out at the vast expanse of Wakanda. Shuri was already pulling up the video on the beads, and as T’Challa walked towards them he faltered in his step, a sense of deja vu hitting him, an anxiety that came from seeing his father so close to the window. He wanted to tell him to get away from them, to run, but instead he just shook the feeling away.

“You called for us?” T’Challa asked, glad that his voice was steady.

T’Chaka was laughing at the video Shuri showed him, but instead of it being his normal laugh, the laugh that shook his whole body and reached his eyes and made him seem warm and kind, this laugh was an imitation of that - a good one, a feigned laughter that was enough to fool those that didn’t know him as well as T’Challa did.

But the way the laughter didn’t reach his eyes was a dead give away.

Nodding, T’Chaka patted Shuri on the shoulder, turning to T’Challa. “I need your help,” he said. He looked around at the three of them. “I need all of you.”

“My king?” Okoye inclined her head, a question and an expression of assurance. What needed to be dealt with would be dealt with.

He didn’t say anything as he tapped at his kimoyo beads, bringing up a video. It was of a young man in a straight jacket, sitting in a cell. He was hunched over, his face obscured from the camera.

T’Challa didn’t need to see his face. There was a pull at the back of his mind. Recognition.

“This is a dangerous man. A threat to our kingdom that I want you to eliminate,” T’Chaka told them. As he spoke, two guards - Wakandan guards - stepped into the cell, pulling the man up between them and dragging him out of his cell.

“Baba, is - is this man here?” Shuri asked, eyes wide as the video feed changed to another angle, and they could see the man getting dragged through the Wakandan prison.

T’Chaka nodded. “And when he gets brought to this chamber, you will execute him.”

Shuri and Okoye exchanged a glance but T’Challa couldn’t take his eyes off the video. The man’s head lolled between the guards, and T’Challa’s suspicions were confirmed. The threat, the man that was being brought up to die by their hand, was Erik Stevens. It was his cousin, N’Jadaka.

* * *

 

“Sweetheart, hi!” Janet exclaimed as soon as she opened the front door. Cassie had already thrown herself at her, hugging Janet tight.

“Where’s Hope’s dad?” she asked, looking up at Janet despite not letting her go yet.

“He’s outside,” Janet told her. “I think he’s doing something with the ants. Do you wanna go see?”

Cassie nodded enthusiastically, running in as soon as Janet stepped back to let them all inside.

“She’s always so excited to see you both,” Scott said, smiling as Cassie disappeared into the kitchen. They could hear the spring door open and shut, meaning she had already run outside to see what Hank was up to.

Janet pulled Hope in for a hug. “Cassie reminds me of this one when she was little and excited to see her parents.”

“I’m still excited to see you both,” Hope said as they pulled away from each other.

“Not excited enough to run around the house to see what we’re doing,” Janet pointed out. She gave Scott a hug too. “Food’s almost ready. I’m thinking eating outside would be nice.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Scott nodded. “Anything you need some help with?”

“Just get me the table cloth that’s in the hallway closet, and then we can start setting the table outside,” Janet instructed as she walked back into the kitchen.

Scott did as told, and quickly found the table cloth. It had a green and white checkered pattern and would have been hard to miss, and, with it tucked under his arm, he had been about to follow where Janet and Cassie had left to go outside when he saw Hope standing in front of the fireplace, holding a framed picture in her hands.

“Ready for lunch?” Scott asked, pausing before going into the kitchen.

She didn’t answer.

“Hope?” Scott slowly stepped towards her, peeking at the picture in her hands. It was of her high school graduation, a picture of Hope between Hank and Janet, all three of them smiling brightly at the camera. “Everything okay?”

“Why is this picture here?” she whispered.

Caught off guard, Scott looked at the picture again. She was in her cap and gown, holding a teddy bear and a bouquet of flowers. Nothing out of the ordinary. “It's just your graduation picture, Hope. Did something happen that day?”

She shook her head, tearing her eyes away from the picture as she finally turned to Scott. “When did we get my mom back?”

“It’s been, what, less than a year?” Scott answered. “But why the quest-” the words died in his throat as it hit him, as he turned back to the picture in her hands.

“Scott,” she started, tears in her eyes this time as fear laced her voice, “how is this picture here?”

* * *

“You’re going to love the bakery that just opened up,” Vision said as he led Wanda down the street, tugging on her hand slightly as they weaved past passersby.

Being able to be out and about with Vision felt like a gift in and of itself. It was so nice to be able to walk down the street and feel like a normal couple, to not draw any looks and glances from anyone. Keeping Vision looking human was one of the many things the Mind Stone could do, and it always came in handy on outings like this.

“It better be good, Vis. You’ve been talking this place up nonstop since you had one of their cupcakes,” Wanda told him.

“I should have brought you back a cupcake too,” Vision lamented. He glanced back at her, grinning broadly. “But don’t worry, it’ll be everything I’ve talked it up to be.”

Wanda smiled back, giving his hand a squeeze. Even though she liked how he looked, she preferred him as he was without the disguise the Mind Stone provided -

She faltered in her step, the smile sliding off her face. He shouldn’t look human, but there he was, still smiling at her as he turned his attention back to the street and kept leading her down the street.

* * *

 

Fury was tapping away on his tablet, looking for the documents and articles that he had prepared to discuss with Rhodes and Wilson. He knew that he could just hand it over to Maria, who would find everything within seconds, but now he felt like he had a point to prove.

“He’s right though, we do keep our idiots in line,” Sam commented, glancing over at Rhodey.

“Yeah, yeah, that’s fair.” Rhodey gave Sam a mischievous grin, “But my guy could beat your guy any day.”

“Tony?” Sam laughed. “You’ve gotta be kidding me. My bets are on Steve in that fight.”

Fury paused in his typing as cold seeped into his skin. Curse his paranoia.

“And as a good friend they should be,” Rhodey pointed out. “Doesn’t mean Rogers is gonna win.”

“I’m thinking Thor could wipe the floor with both of them,” Maria chimed in, eager to add her two cents.

Sam shook his head at the same time that Rhodey said, “He’s a god, he doesn’t count.”

“Still an Avenger though,” Maria shrugged.

“Well, Tony and Steve were technically recruited from the start while Thor was more of an after-the-fact addition,” Rhodey answered back.

“Steve won,” Fury interrupted abruptly, setting his tablet down.

“What?” Sam asked, turning to Fury in brief confusion.

Fury glanced down at the screen, at all the data he had finally pulled up that showed how SHIELD was running perfectly, efficiently, taking down threats and doing the best to keep the world safe, glancing down at all the lies.

“We went through that. Steve won -  the fight wasn’t very fair since Barnes was there to help,” Fury continued, standing up from where he’d been sitting.

“There was no fight,” Rhodey said, standing as well, but even as he said it his eyebrows knit in thought as if he were struggling to remember something.

“You should sit down, Rhodes, before you remember,” Fury suggested, his tone almost gentle.

Rhodey’s legs gave out as he fell back into the chair, his hands scrambling to press and feel his legs. “I-I can’t -”

“Oh no,” Sam whispered, his expression horrified as the memory finally hit him, as all the memories clicked back into place.

“Wait, but that also means -” Maria began, jumping to her feet and reaching for her gun.

Nick nodded. “We’re fucking surrounded by Hydra. And I have no idea how to get out of this.”

* * *

 

With the table all set and everybody digging in, it wasn’t hard for Clint to notice the way Natasha was hiding her phone in her lap and stealthily texting. Or, well, it would have been stealthily but she’s his best friend. Of course he noticed.

“Didn’t know Brucie was the texting type,” Clint drawled casually, reaching over to grab a napkin.

Natasha turned a little pink around the ears, putting her phone on the table. “He says it won’t be long til he’s here.”

“Hopefully he sees the empty field so the quinjet doesn’t crush the wildflowers,” Laura said, looking up at the sky.

“I can’t wait to see the Hulk,” Nathaniel grinned, looking over at Natasha. “Do you think he’ll show me how to be strong and stuff like him?”

“If you ask nicely I’m sure he will,” Natasha answered, a blatant lie but a harmless one. Her phone buzzed, just a simple kissy emoji from Bruce.

Clint rolled his eyes as she texted back. He mimed turning off his hearing aids, his hand going to his ear, but found that there was nothing there. The phone vibrated again, and he could hear it, and hear Lila bargaining with Cooper to take some of her vegetables, hear the scrape of their forks against their plates. He could hear it all without his hearing aids.

He looked over at Natasha, meeting her eyes, and from the look of disbelief and dawning realization on her face, it was clear she’d figured it out the second he had too.

* * *

 

Strange continued working on the patient laid out on the table before him, focusing enough to do his job right but still able to keep up the witty retorts.

He pulled back for a second, letting one of the assistants wipe off some of the sweat from his brow, when suddenly he felt a sense of vertigo, with the light that hung completely focused on the patient almost blinding him in his dizziness.

There was an irresistible urge to look down at his hands, and when he glanced down they were lying on the table, cut open and torn apart and filled with pins and metal.

Bile rose at the back of his throat. He squeezed his eyes shut to keep it down, and when he opened them he was standing beside the patient, surgical instruments in hand. Shaking himself out of whatever that was, he bent forward to continue operating.

He paused to take a deep breath so that he could focus again. He paused so that he could get his hands to stop shaking.

* * *

 

“Hey, kid, ready for dinner?” Tony asked as he strolled into the lab.

Peter sat up from where he was hunched over still working on the web shooters. He rolled his shoulders, wincing from the sore spot between them. “Yeah, I’m ready. I’ll just be coming down here to finish up once we’re all done. Is Aunt May here?”

“I hope Tony doesn’t let you hole up all by yourself too much,” May commented as she came in after Tony. “And to answer your question, yes, I am here.”

“He’s not in here all by himself,” Tony assured her. “I’m usually in here, too.”

May rolled her eyes, coming to stand behind Peter and looking down at the metal and circuits and wires and spools of web all laid out on the table. “Slow going today?”

“A little,” Peter sheepishly admitted.

“Some brain food and a bit of time to clear the ol’ noggin does wonders for the mind,” Tony hummed, nodding towards the door that would lead out of his lab. “So c’mon, everyone’s waiting for you.”

“I’m going, I’m going,” Peter smiled, finally getting up from his chair. “Do you think it’s okay if I bring Morgan down here later? I think she’d like to see the finished product.”

Tony looked at Peter in confusion. “Morgan? Morgan, who?”

Peter rolled his eyes. “Ha ha, very funny. Morgan, your daughter.”

May and Tony exchanged a glance.

“What?” Peter asked, looking between the both of them, his smile slowly leaving his face as he saw the utter confusion and lack of recognition on their faces.

Tony shook his head, taking a gentle step towards Peter.

Goosebumps rose on Peter’s skin - his spider senses, his intuition ringing alarm bells.

“Peter, bud, I-I don’t have a daughter.” Tony took Peter in, eyes running over his face in concern. “Are you okay?”

* * *

It was quiet as Gamora walked out of their room, making her way through the ship as she looked for Quill. She found him eating in the kitchen, snacking on some cookies as he waited for his milk to warm up on the stove.

“Making some coffee?” she asked as she hoisted herself to sit on the counter.

“Even better,” Quill grinned at her. “I’m making chocolate milk.”

Gamora shook her head, but didn’t say anything, instead opting to just watch and enjoy Peter’s antics. There was a peace to the stillness of the ship. Gamora figured that everyone was already asleep since she hadn’t run into anyone as she’d walked to the kitchen.

“No one’s up to help you out with navigation?” Gamora observed, although it came out sounding like a question.

“Haven’t seen ‘em since I got out of the control room. I’m sure they’re all knocked out catching up on lost sleep,” Peter answered.

As she continued to watch Peter, she felt herself slowly begin to frown. The more she thought about it, the harder it was for her to remember when was the last time she’d seen anyone besides Peter on the ship. She held still, trying to see if she could pick up on any sounds coming from elsewhere. There was nothing. Dead silence.

Complete and total silence.

She felt her breath stutter in her chest as she watched Peter quietly make his hot chocolate. No singing under his breath, no humming, nothing - because for the first time ever, no music was playing on board.

* * *

 

Steve didn’t know if it was a blessing or a curse that they had been dropped in May 1970, just three days before Tony was born. He was apparently going to get the chance to make things right with Tony, albeit in a very twist of fate sort of way. He was going to be able to be there for him as he grew up, as a family friend rather than as the idolized MIA hero that his father had always talked about. At least this Tony would be spared of that kind of neglect from Howard.

Now, a full week later, Steve and Bucky were walking up to the hospital, a teddy bear and flowers clutched in their hands, as they went to congratulate the Starks. Steve was honestly a little surprised Maria and Tony were still at the hospital, but the Stark money was probably making sure the doctors and nurses were making sure that absolutely everything was okay before they released the two.

He glanced over at Bucky, considering maybe commenting on it to ease the tension between them, but decided against it.

Since that conversation in his house that morning, they hadn’t spoken to each other. It’d been hard, so, so hard, but Bucky felt that staying away from each other would make it easier for them to adjust to being back, and Steve obliged, wanting to make this as painless for Bucky as possible - even though there was nothing Steve wanted more than to rush to Bucky’s side just to bask in that familiar warmth again.

But after Bucky had informed him of the date that day and had told him that they would be going to visit Maria and Tony in a week, Steve hadn’t argued. He’d eagerly awaited the day because he’d not only get to see baby Tony, but he’d also see Bucky. He thought that maybe things would feel a little more normal after the week’s silence.

It hadn’t. If anything, it hurt more to look at Bucky, to be beside him but feel the chasm that lay between them.

“C’mon, Stevie, quit looking at me like that,” Bucky mumbled, ducking his head and glancing away after he caught Steve staring at him out of the corner of his eye.

Steve sighed, but didn’t bother to avert his gaze. “I can’t. Not when we’re acting like strangers with each other.”

Bucky let out a huff of air as they stepped into the elevator, pressing the number 3. When the elevator doors finally slid shut, he turned to Steve. “I know that this isn’t easy, but this is _ easier _ if we just do it like this. It’s going to hurt all the more if we act like nothing and keep on getting closer like we were getting and -”

“But what if I want to keep getting closer,” Steve blurted out. “What if that’s what I want?”

“It’s not what you want though,” Bucky answered back, turning away. He nodded towards Steve. “You got what you wanted with Peggy. That’s what  _ you _ wanted. I’m only here because I want to see you happy and-and for you to be happy, you wanted me here too - you want us both here, by your side.” The elevator door slid open and Bucky started to step out, brushing past Steve. “The white picket fence with Peggy and me just cheering you on.”

Without hesitating, Steve caught Bucky’s hand as he stepped out after him, making him stop in his tracks. “Buck,” he said quietly, tugging on his hand. “Please, look at me.”

Bucky had his back to him, but he turned, ever so slightly, to look him in the eye.

It felt as if time seemed to suspend itself, where everything around them seemed to hold it's breath as Steve swallowed hard, dropping Bucky’s hand to reach for the one where he had the flowers and tugging gently until Bucky was facing him fully.

Not once did Bucky try to fight his touch, but there was something in his eyes, a sadness and an expectation that pushed Steve forward.

He held Bucky’s free hand again. His palm was warm against Steve’s skin.

“I don’t want to be with Peggy.” Steve swallowed past the sudden lump in his throat, past the nervousness that threatened to choke him. “I - It’s only been a week, but I’ve been through this before Buck, and I’m sorry it's taken me so long to get my head out of my ass, but I don’t want to be with Peggy. I  _ thought _ that’s the life I wanted to live. But it’s not.” He squeezed Bucky’s hand as he blinked back tears, seeing Bucky’s eyes shiny with them as well.

It was now or never.

“Bucky, you’re the one I want to be happy with. A life with you is what I want more than anything.”

Steve watched as Bucky closed his eyes, but he could feel him squeeze his hand back. Bucky opened his eyes, meeting Steve’s gaze, but before he could say anything, the speakers overhead crackled to life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yooooooo so Steve's finally out here, confessing his feelings (sort of) like eeeyyyyy i've been waiting for a hot minute to write that out but we're really getting to the GOOD GOOD stuff i'm so fucking excited
> 
> Tony's scene hurt me tbh like ouch man I didn't think it'd hurt that much but nope it did
> 
> also, the song that played for the Guardians was Wham Bam Shang-A-Lang by Silver because why not the lyrics were A+ for that scene tbh
> 
> and to all my lovelies who caught on so, so fast - bless your hearts! that makes me so, so happy! I really hope you guys like this chapter and how they're figuring things out, and I'd love it if you kept commenting because seeing what you have to say makes me so so happy!
> 
> I love you guys so much and i'll be back as soon as I possibly can because like fuuuuuck bruh am i pumped for the next chapter!


	12. Supernova

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything is coming back to them as they figure out plans of escape - those who can manage to escape, that is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyy babes, I'm sorry it's taken me so long to come back and update. Long story short, what should have been a small flu ended up lasting much longer than I anticipated, and that coupled with the fact that I was home for the summer and I was just having fun with family ended up pushing this chapter back pretty late...
> 
> buuuuut but but, now I'm back in college, and once I get the hang of my class schedule that should mean a more consistent update schedule again!
> 
> once again, I'm super sorry about the impromptu hiatus, but here's the next chapter! I really hope you all like it!

_ “They have seen through the reality that was created from the thoughts found in their mind. Now the hour has come to see what their souls are truly made of.” _

* * *

 

_ “Longing _ ,” the Russian word filtered through the speaker. Steve turned his head quizzically, looking up in confusion, while Bucky’s eyes went wide.

_ “Rusted _ ,” the voice continued, the Russian coming out staticky and garbled.

Steve was glancing around, trying to find the speakers, when he felt Bucky’s hand hold his own tighter. He turned to Bucky, seeing the way his eyes were wide open, the way the color drained from his face.

“Buck -?” Steve began, taking a step closer to him just as the voice overhead said, “ _ Furnace.” _

“No,” Bucky whimpered, pulling away from Steve, letting go of Steve’s hand, taking a few steps back before staggering against the wall.

“ _ Daybreak _ ,” the word sounded warped, as if the speakers themselves were moving all around them.

Bucky doubled over against the wall, clutching his head, a shout of pain on his lips as he fell to his knees.

Steve rushed to Bucky’s side.

“ _ Seventeen _ ,” the voice breathed, cleaner, crisper, the static from before gone. “ _ Benign- _ ”

“Hey, Buck, hey, I’m here, I’m here,” Steve reassured him, falling to his knees beside him, hands hesitant and unsure, not wanting to hurt Bucky any more than he already seemed to be hurting. “A doctor, I need a doctor!” Steve shouted, looking frantically up and down the hallway.

The lights flickered overhead.

“ _ Nine, homecoming _ -”

Bucky’s hands were shaking where they were clutching his head, fisted into his hair, hair that was much,  _ much _ longer than it’d been when they’d stepped off the elevator. Steve caught a glint of silver between the long strands of brown hair.

“ _ One _ ,” the voice was all around them, it's sound so loud it felt as if it were vibrating through them.

“Steve?” and it wasn’t Bucky that was calling out his name, Bucky who was curled in on himself, screaming his throat raw.

The person called out his name again. “Steve? Steve, where are you?”

From up ahead, a door swung open and Tony stumbled through - Tony, just the way he’d been before Thanos, before the Accords. This was the Tony that had grown to trust him before Steve had dashed that trust against the rocks.

“ _ Freight car _ ,” the voice finished, and everything fell to silence as the lights stopped flickering and burned brightly, their fluorescence almost too bright for Steve’s eyes.

Steve was speechless as he watched Tony standing in the hallway, the silence ringing loud in his ears - and that’s when he realized that Bucky wasn’t screaming anymore.

“Bucky, are you -” Steve began, finally placing a gentle hand on Bucky’s back.

Or trying to, since he never got the chance.

There was a flash of silver as Bucky whirled around, getting onto one knee as his hand caught Steve’s wrist. There was no warmth against his skin at the touch - only cold steel.

Steve looked down at Bucky and met the murderous gaze of the Winter Soldier.

* * *

 

Loki and Bruce paced inside Thor’s room, anxious and stressed and not at all ready to break the news to Thor.

The door slid open as Thor walked in, an easy smile on his face. “You both wanted to talk to me?”

Bruce glanced over at Loki, nodding towards Thor before returning his gaze back to the wide window that looked into space. They had decided that Loki should explain it - Bruce was too busy keeping the Hulk under wraps for the time being, and that was definitely proving to be a struggle since Loki could see the green creeping up his neck every few minutes.

“Yes, brother,” Loki began, squaring his shoulders. He turned to Thor, saw the way his smile began to slip off his face as worry began to show. “Do you really think it’s a good idea to go back to Earth?” Loki asked instead, somehow wanting to ease Thor into the news.

The tension that had begun to build in Thor’s shoulders dropped away. “Yes, of course,” he answered. “The people of Earth love me - I’m very popular.”

Loki sighed, catching the way that Bruce was watching them, keeping quiet as he waited for Loki. “Let me rephrase that,” he continued. “Do you really think it's a good idea to bring  _ me _ back to Earth?”

“Probably not, to be honest,” Thor said, but there was a teasing smile on his face. “But I wouldn’t worry about that.” He turned to Bruce, then back to Loki, “I feel like everything’s gonna work out fine.”

They lapsed into silence for a minute, before Bruce’s eyes widened and Thor’s room was swallowed by a giant shadow.

“Oh, no,” Loki breathed, closing his eyes, afraid to turn around.

“It’s too late,” Bruce choked out, taking a step back.

Thor turned towards the window, all the color draining from his face. He looked at Loki. “This is what you truly wanted to warn me about, wasn’t it?”

Before Loki had a chance to answer, an explosion rocked through their ship, sending everyone to the ground.

* * *

 

“But you do,” Peter got out. “You do have a daughter.”

Tony shook his head, stepping closer to Peter. “I don’t, kid.” He tried for a teasing smile. “I think I’d know if I had one.”

He reached out and put his wrist to Peter’s forehead, his smartwatch ringing after a second as FRIDAY’S voice chimed, “Everything seems in order, boss. No fever.”

“I’m sure I have something else to see if maybe it’s food poisoning - or a concussion?” Tony mused, stepping past Peter and walking towards a lab table.

“No, Mr. Stark, I’m not sick!” Peter argued, fists clenched at his side. He could feel his breaths coming in shorter, a deep seated panic bubbling up. “Mr. Stark, please, Morgan’s upstairs, she’s up there with Happy and Miss Potts.”

“Peter, I don’t have a daughter,” Tony repeated, stopping in his rummaging.

“You’re kind of scaring us, Pete,” May said gently, slowly getting closer to Peter.

“This is just - no,” Peter insisted, shaking his head. “No, this is wrong.” He felt like he was crumbling, like the ground was being pulled from beneath him.

Tony glanced up, just as May asked, “Do you feel that?”

And Peter realized a second too late that he didn’t just  _ feel _ like it was crumbling, like the ground was being pulled from beneath him, because it  _ was _ crumbling, an explosion shaking the ground violently.

“Guys,” Peter got out, turning to look at May, then at Tony, both equidistant on opposite ends of the room from him. The last thing Peter saw was the look of fear in Tony’s eyes, the way he moved to run for Peter as May shouted his name.

Then everything collapsed over them.

* * *

 

Tears were still running down his face when the first fire started. The screams and shouts of joy and excitement were soon replaced by battle cries and screams of fear. Drax wanted to go, wanted to run and join his fellow warriors, but he couldn’t move from where he sat.

He hadn’t seen when Ovette had left his side, but he could hear her shouting Kimaria’s name, looking for her through the crowds.

The shouts and screams got louder as the fires multiplied, expanding and roaring and consuming everything in their wake. Warriors fell against the Kree invaders, succumbing to their injuries, overwhelmed by their sheer numbers. In the middle of the chaos, their leader strode into the center of the village, his gait leisurely, expression languid beneath the black war paint that adorned his blue skin.

Two of the fleeing villagers tripped up in front of him, falling to their hands and knees as they ran. Drax recognized them as his heart stuttered in his chest.

Ronan the Accuser looked down on Drax’s wife and daughter with disgust. Then, his mouth twisted into a cruel smile as he lifted his warhammer staff, swinging it out against them. The first strike hit Kimaria in the side of her chest, caving it in with the sound of shattering bones. The second strike hit Ovette on the side of her head on the backswing, cutting her scream short as her neck snapped and her skull broke. Kimaria let out one last gasping sob before her chest stilled.

Drax remained seated, his screams caught in his throat, his body tearing itself apart in its need to stand and fight yet being held in place, unmoving. His tears were rivers down his face, his sob finding itself stuck in his throat along with his scream, threatening to choke him.

Lifting his arms, Ronan continued to laugh, turning around and taking in the destruction around him. His form began to fracture, hairline cracks of purple spidering out all around him as his gaze met Drax’s. Ronan disappeared, torn to shreds by purple energy, and behind him, far away, standing atop a hill overlooking the village, was the true monster behind the decimation of his people. Even through his tears Drax would recognize the Mad Titan anywhere.

Thanos turned his back to him, starting to walk away, just as Drax finally got to his feet, his scream tearing from his throat as he began to charge.

* * *

 

After a few more faltering steps, Wanda managed to grab Vision’s attention long enough to pull him aside, into an empty alleyway.

“Is everything okay, Wanda?” Vision asked, worry clear on his features.

Wanda shook her head, swallowing hard, trying to keep from falling apart so soon. “Vision, this isn’t supposed to be happening.”

Vision frowned. “I’m not sure I follow.”

She gave his hand a final squeeze, taking a step away. “This isn’t supposed to be happening. You - you’re not real.”

He moved closer to her, putting a gentle hand on her cheek. “Darling, please, I mean, I’m sorry I used the disguise, I thought we didn’t want to draw attention -”

“No,” Wanda choked out, tears springing to her eyes as she tore away from him. “No, no, that’s not what I meant and you know it!” She wasn’t sure who she was talking to anymore - she didn’t know if she was talking to this false Vision or to the stone that was making her go through this.

“But, Wanda,” he pleaded, reaching out for her again.

“I said no!” Wanda shouted, swirls of red materializing in her hands.

Vision’s expression fell, his arm dropping from where he had been reaching for her, when suddenly a giant blade ripped out of his chest. He screamed as he was lifted off the ground, his disguise failing as he returned to his normal appearance, red skin and grey patterns.

Wanda felt her heart seize up, a flashback flaring in her mind’s eye as she dodged to the side, sending a blast of energy into Corvus Glaive’s face. 

He fell back with a roar, letting go of the scythe as Wanda continued to incinerate him until he was nothing but ash.

She heard Vision crumple to the ground beside her, the blade still embedded in his back. “Vision, Vision, I’m so sorry,” Wanda apologized, tears running down her face as she pulled the glaive from his back, dragging Vision into her lap. She didn’t care that just seconds ago she had been ready to bolt, to run away from this specter of the man she loved - she couldn’t go through this again, couldn’t have them hurt him again.

Turning him over, she was ready to give him a soothing smile, to hear him give her some reassuring words. Instead, she was met with a vacant stare, his eyes glazed over a dull grey. She watched as the bright red of his body turned that sickly grey, as his life disappeared from him. That’s when she saw the gaping hole in his forehead where the Mind Stone should have been.

“No,” she sobbed.

There were footsteps down the alleyway, walking away from her. She whipped around, catching sight of the man that had killed Vision for his own selfish needs. He was walking away from her, ignoring her, the glow of the Mind Stone glinting from the gauntlet.

Wanda leaned forward, pulling as much of Vision into her arms as she could. This wasn’t the real Vision - this wasn’t her Vision. That Vision had been killed twice, once as a sacrifice and once as a murder. The husk in her arms wasn’t the love of her life.

She kissed his temple.

Then she got up, her red magic swirling around her, tearing into the buildings that ran along the alley as she marched forward, murderous intent in her eyes beneath all her tears.

* * *

 

Clint gave Natasha a humorless smile. “I mean, I know I say that sometimes I forget that I’m even wearing hearing aids, but this is a little ridiculous.”

Laura turned to him, giving Clint a quizzical look. “Hearing aids?”

He nodded. “Yes, Laura, hearing aids.” He sighed, getting up from the table. “You’re not my family, are you?”

“Yes, we are,” Cooper answered quickly. “Why would you ask that?”

Natasha stood as well, not looking at anyone from the table aside from Clint. “Do you think we’re still on Vormir?”

“That’s the only explanation,” Clint said, trying to keep his eyes only on Natasha. He couldn’t bear to look at anyone else.

“Honey, please, where are you going - you haven’t eaten any of your food,” Laura told him, grabbing him by the hand and tugging him back to his seat.

Clint gently pulled away, taking a step back from the table.

Following his lead, Natasha also moved back, starting to walk away with Clint. There were tears in Clint’s eyes as he resolutely stared forward. A strong wind began to whip around them.

“No, dad, please -” Lila shouted, “we need you!”

Hearing the desperation in her voice, Clint couldn’t keep himself from turning around. Looking back, he could see Lila reaching out for him as Laura stood up from the table. Cooper and Nathaniel were looking at him.

“They’re not real, Clint, we have to go,” Natasha said, grabbing him by the arm, not turning around.

“We needed you,” Lila repeated, dropping the arm that she had outstretched to Clint. Then she started to fade away.

“Lila, wait!” Clint shouted, pulling away from Natasha as he ran forward.

“Honey, please, stay,” Laura whispered, as Cooper and Nathaniel echoed, “Please stay with us, dad.”

They had all started to fade away, falling apart like pillars of sand.

“No!” Clint screamed, then Natasha was beside him, dragging him away.

“It’s not them, Clint, they’re not real,” she ground out, using all her strength to keep him from running.

“But, Nat, please,” he cried, watching as the wind carried their ashes away, losing them in the sudden hurricane that was screaming around them.

“This is all some sick fucking trick!” Natasha shouted, pulling on his stubbornly. “We can’t go back!”

Clint broke away from her just as the ground beneath them shifted and dried out, the grass turning to dirt and clay and dust, his farmhouse disappearing beneath the howling winds, replaced by harsh crags and unforgiving terrain. “No!” Clint sobbed.

In the midst of all the wind, they could see a silhouette, huge and intimidating and familiar enough that it made Natasha’s blood turn to ice.

She took a step back, reaching for Clint. “This isn’t real,” she repeated.

Thanos lifted his gauntlet, the glittering stones glinting across its surface, and closed his fist.

* * *

 

Stephen took another deep breath, willing the tremors in his hands to cease. He could barely keep his hold on the forceps and scalpel, so he put them down on the tray as he braced his hands on the edge of the operating table. He could see a strange bulge on his hand, beneath the glove, on his pointer and middle finger.

The uncontrollable need to look at the patient’s face filled him, and he glanced up, noticing a peek of dark hair and a hint of silver streaks along his temples. Stephen felt that awful sense of vertigo again as he reached up, hesitantly removing the oxygen mask from his patient’s face.

He found himself staring down at his own unconscious form.

It took everything in his power to not throw up as bile rose in his throat, his heart jackhammering against his ribs. He braced himself further on the table, closing his eyes and taking shallow breaths, willing whatever horrid hallucination this was to end.

When he opened his eyes, he was lying on the table, alone in the operating room, still in his surgeon scrubs. He sat up immediately, looking down at his hands and tearing off the right glove.

There were horrible scars all over his hands, raised and ugly, and his hands couldn’t stop shaking, wouldn’t stop shaking.

“What the fuck is happening?” he whispered, his voice thick with tears.

* * *

 

The ship listed to the side suddenly.

“Quill, the plasma cap!” Rocket shouted.

And of course everything would go straight to hell as soon as Mantis told everyone about Gamora.

Scrambling beneath the console, Quill began to desperately look for the tiny compartment that housed the cap, pushing past cables and running his fingers back and forth along the smooth metal looking for the button that would pop the small window open. Tears stung in his eyes as he swallowed down the realization that Gamora wasn’t real.

“I am Groot!” Groot exclaimed, jumping into his seat and strapping in.

“Not a bad idea, not a bad idea at all,” Rocket agreed, getting into his chair to start trying to right the ship as he strapped in.

Nebula vaulted over the console to get to her seat, grabbing Mantis and pushing her into her chair as well. “Strap in. I don’t think we’ll be allowed an easy landing,” she said.

“She is right!” Mantis called out. “Quill, you have to leave the repairs and focus on getting us somewhere to land with Rocket!”

Ditching his failed attempts, Quill pulled himself out, crawling over to his seat before climbing on. The ship was shaking, alarms and lights blaring all around. The hiss of steam and shriek of metal rang through the air.

“There’s only one planet nearby, and we’re already close enough that it’s gravitational field is pulling us in,” Rocket told Quill as he punched coordinates and commands into the console.

Quill grabbed tightly onto the steering wheel, pulling it up with all his might in an attempt to keep the ship from crashing. “Help me!”

Rocket pushed the console aside, bringing up his own steering wheel and pulling it back as well.

Groot glanced around frantically. “I am Groot!”

“She’s - she’s not real, buddy,” Quill choked out, a few stray tears running down his cheek.

“But we are,” Nebula said grimly.

“And I don’t know what that’s gonna mean when we fucking land!” Rocket yelled out. “So hold on!”

The crash was as turbulent and destructive as they thought it would be. They were all screaming and shouting as they were buffeted in their seats, and, thankfully, their straps held strong and kept them from flying around the control room.

When the ship finally ground to a halt, Rocket was already releasing himself, scrambling off his chair and moving to pull Groot free as well. “Off, off, off! We don’t know if this thing is gonna blow!”

No one needed to be told twice. They all jumped out of their seats, Nebula helping Mantis and Quill as they all tread through the rubble as quickly as they could. Quill kicked at the door when it didn’t open, then pushed at it, bracing his shoulder against it with Nebula before finally toppling it over. There was light not to far down the hall, a giant hole carved into the ship. They made their way to it, climbing out one after the other, their feet landing on dirt and clay, mere yards away from a cliff.

Nebula recognized the planet immediately. “We’re on Titan.”

“It was the closest planet,” Rocket told her, and of course he didn’t react with the same urgency Mantis and Quill had on their faces - he hadn’t been on Titan with them when they’d encountered her father.

Shouts from further down the ship could be heard, along with shifting rubble. Quill knew who was shouting and quickly began to move towards the noise, Nebula hot on his heels as everyone fell into step behind them.

They turned a corner, catching sight of the Titan’s back as he towered over Gamora who was struggling against the iron grip he had on her arm. She was desperately fighting against him, fear in her eyes as she met Quill’s gaze.

Then Thanos picked her up by her arm and threw her over the side of the cliff.

“Gamora!” Quill shouted as Nebula roared in anger, whipping out her daggers as she ran towards her father.

* * *

 

“What if we just walk out?” Maria asked, getting to her feet.

Sam had come around to Rhodey’s side of the table, helping hold him up as he eased into War Machine. He left his faceplate off, grimacing before saying, “We’ll get shot up before we’re even down the hall.”

Fury looked out of the window, watched as agents and civilians walked back and forth through the central lobby. “Maybe not,” he mused. “We just have to walk out the way we walked in.”

“It does make sense,” Sam admitted. “We didn’t have any trouble getting here, and they have no reason to think anything’s changed.”

“We do it just the way we got in,” Fury repeated, turning around. He fixed Rhodey with an appraising look. “You good to go?”

“As good as I’ll ever be,” Rhodey answered, still clearly shaken.

“Then we do this now, and we do it fast,” Fury said, sweeping out of the room.

Maria walked out behind them, with Rhodey and Sam following suit. Sam stayed a little closer to Rhodey than usual, keeping within arms reach just in case he needed any help.

Fury and Maria walked with purpose down the hall, eyes forward, a commanding air about them. Sam and Rhodey needed to act natural, but their natural was with well meaning jibes and light hearted teasing.

“Can’t wait to tell Tony about all the shit you were talking,” Rhodey tried, giving Sam what he hoped was a genuine smile.

Although it seemed forced, Sam gave him a convincing smirk in return. “You tell the tin man everything if you want. That’s not gonna change the fact that my boy can kick his ass.”

They continued walking, barely drawing any attention. A few agents gave Fury and Rhodey curt nods, some told Maria that they would have the reports she asked for ready by the evening, and some even gave Sam a friendly fistbump here and there.

The front doors were right there, a couple dozen yards away, when a voice from behind them called out, “Going so soon, Fury?”

Nick swore but turned around, regarding Alexander Pierce seriously. “Just escorting Wilson and Rhodes out after our meeting,” he simply answered.

“Ah, right,” Pierce hummed. He turned to the man beside him, nodding towards Fury. “You should go escort them as well.”

Brock Rumlow stepped forward, his hand lying casually at his holster. “Of course,” he said.

“There’ll be no need for that,” Fury told them curtly, moving to turn away.

“No, but, Fury, it wasn’t a question,” Pierce tutted. “It was an order.” Two other STRIKE members stepped out from among the crowd, moving to flank them from behind. “The thing about your meeting is that, well,” he tapped his ear. “You weren’t very subtle with that conversation were you.”

“The cameras,” Maria whispered, stunned and angry that they had overlooked something so glaringly obvious.

Pierce nodded. “Yes, Agent Hill, the cameras.” He smiled at Fury. “It was your idea to have every room monitored after all - which is why, after what I’ve heard, we can’t let you leave.”

Then they opened fire.

* * *

 

“I-I don’t know,” Scott answered. “I don’t know how that picture even exists.”

Hope swallowed down the lump in her throat, willing the tears that burned her eyes to keep from falling. “I need to go talk to my parents - to my mom. I need to know what’s going on.”

She stepped past Scott, hearing him coming a step behind her.

“Mom, Dad!” she called out, rushing outside as she threw open the door. “I need -” she stopped in her tracks, taking note of the empty yard. Her parents were nowhere to be seen, Cassie nowhere to be found.

The dread and fear she’d felt as soon as she saw the picture intensified.

Turning around, she stepped inside quickly, Scott’s name on her lips, but when she crossed the threshold she wasn’t at her parents’ house - she was at her father’s lab, at the lab they had built when they had still been looking for her mom.

But she was alone. No Scott, no Cassie, no mom, no dad - just the quiet whir of the machines, and the blip against the back panels behind the quantum tunnel, showing her where her mother was in the quantum realm. She felt her heart sink as she looked around, noticing the missing capsule that would allow them to navigate through the quantum realm.

The blip sounded again, a soft ping - the place where her mother was in the quantum realm, and the place where her father was headed right at that moment.

* * *

 

“This is not a dangerous man,” T’Challa argued. He pointed at the video feed, “Look at him, he is subdued, completely at our mercy and can be kept in our prison.”

T’Chaka regarded his son coldly as he shut off the feed from his kimoyo beads. “Are you going against my orders?”

“I -” T’Challa began, starting to backpedal before he stopped himself, squaring his shoulders and leveling his father with a hard gaze. “Yes.”

“You know that is treason, to go against your king,” he said.

“Baba!” Shuri exclaimed. “You cannot be serious!” She stood by T’Challa, looking at their father warily. “You cannot be serious about any of this. My brother is right, that man may have been a threat to the kingdom but he is not one any longer.”

“So you are siding with him?” T’Chaka asked, motioning towards T’Challa.

“Yes, Baba,” Shuri answered. “You are being unreasonable in your punishment.”

T’Chaka merely nodded, turning away from his children as he looked at Okoye.

She bowed, her way of telling him to continue.

“You know what to do with traitors to the throne,” he said simply as he turned away, his hands behind his back.

Okoye stiffened in her bow, not looking up, missing the way his hands were covered in blood. “M-my king?” she asked.

His tone brokered no argument. “You know what to do, Okoye. Their betrayal makes them a danger to the throne and to the kingdom.”

Her mouth was drawn in a hard line as she got up from her bow, meeting T’Challa and Shuri’s disbelieving stares.

“B-baba, you can’t be serious,” Shuri repeated, tears in her eyes as she turned to look at her father.

He shook his head. “I’m not your Baba. My children wouldn’t have betrayed this kingdom.”

And Okoye took a step forward, even as her heart broke.

* * *

 

“Why isn’t there any music playing?” Gamora blurted out.

Quill looked over at her from where he was fixing himself his hot chocolate. He frowned. “Huh, I hadn’t even noticed that.” He stopped what he was doing as he started to head for the door. “I’ll just go fix that, I’ll be right back.”

Gamora let him leave, watching as he slipped out of the kitchen, coming up with hundreds of reasons why there was no music playing. Peter could have turned it off for once, to let everyone sleep - some circuit could have blown out the speakers or something. There were so many,  _ many _ explanations why there was no music.

But none of them felt right.

She went through the motions, finishing up preparing Peter’s hot chocolate as she waited for him to come back. The ship gave a small lurch, a bit of turbulence that made Gamora brace herself against the counter. The lights flickered overhead.

“Peter, is everything okay?” she called out. She stepped out of the kitchen, making her way to the control room. “Did you find what the problem was?” she asked, quietly stepping past the door.

The room was empty.

Gamora moved through the room, heading for the bedrooms, an undercurrent of worry to her movements. She threw open Rocket’s bedroom door - nothing. Groot’s next - empty. Nebula’s - not a soul. She ran through every room, with all of them turning up empty, and as she was about to loop around and double check she noticed that the hatch was open, leading out of the ship and onto solid ground.

Stepping down the hatch hesitantly, Gamora climbed out of the ship, figuring that that was where everyone else had gone. She stepped onto familiar dirt and clay, feeling her stomach twist uncomfortably. She looked around, looking for Peter and Nebula and the rest of the Guardians, when she saw him, standing with his back to her, overlooking his home planet. The Mad Titan himself.

She let out a gasp, her hands starting to shake as she took a step back, towards the ship. Thanos lifted his head, beginning to turn around at the sound.

Gamora ran.

* * *

 

“We couldn’t have been happy here,” Tony choked out. “You’re not them.”

“But we could be them,” Pepper said, reaching out to hold Morgan’s hand as Morgan stepped up beside her. “We could live here, have the life you’ve always wanted. No more Iron Man, no more Avengers, no more threats.” She gave him a disarming smile, extending a hand to him. “Just us, Tony.”

It would be so easy. It would be so,  _ so _ easy to climb those stairs, to take her hand and pull her into a kiss that would feel  _ so real _ , to give Morgan a reassuring pat on the head and herd her back to bed. It would be so easy.

Yet Tony couldn’t do it.

He took another step back. “I can’t,” he whispered, shaking his head. “This isn’t real.”

“Your love for us is real,” Morgan said quietly. “You love us, dad.”

Tony nodded, lurching forward before taking more steps back, finally hitting the door. “I-I do love you. I love you both so much.” He reached behind him blindly, grabbing the doorknob. “That’s why I’m doing this.” He pulled the door open, turning and running outside, only to be met with howling winds and to come face to face with an unforgiving, cold smile.

“What did I tell you, Stark?” Thanos said, holding his arms out as he gestured around him. “I am inevitable.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, that was that, and we'll see where that goes! It was fun to include a few iconic baddies that have been in the MCU, like damn that felt good. I'm honestly super super duper excited to get to this arc, because fuck man it's been too long and we have to get our heroes closer to a real happy ending!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, let me know what you all think and I really hope you all liked it! Love you guys and I'll see you soon!


	13. Two Minutes to Midnight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fight breaks out, and plans are put into motion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyyyy guys!!
> 
> Firstly, Happy Halloween! I hope you guys have had a marvelous spooky season with family and friends and that y'all had tons of fun
> 
> Secondly, sorry about the long hiatuses between chapters T.T I really wish I could write more and get them out quicker, but things have been so busy on my end recently. I came back to college, moved to a new place, I started my thesis project for my last year of college - it's been preeetty wild gang
> 
> But, I'm back with the newest chapter! I really hope you guys like it! Thank you so much for sticking with me!

Tony felt his heart seize in his chest as he stood rooted to the spot in terror. Thanos looked down on him, merely a few dozen feet away, emanating cruelty and malicious glee. The self satisfied smile that was curling his lips turned Tony’s blood to ice, effectively freezing his voice in his throat.

“You thought I could be stopped - that you would be able to escape failure?” He stepped towards Tony, slowly lifting his hand. He looked down at his gauntlet, victory dancing in his eyes. “We both know this is how it ends. Dread it, run from it,” he met Tony’s gaze. “Destiny still arrives.”

There was a burst of movement to their right, two figures stumbling out of the whirlwind before immediately trying to backtrack.

“This isn’t real,” one of them breathed out, her voice carrying all the way to Tony.

Thanos finished lifting his gauntlet, eyes turning to the pair. His gaze darted to Tony for a split second before he closed his fist.

That was enough to finally push him over the edge.

“Natasha, look out!” Tony screamed.

She dived to the side, tackling Clint to the ground as a beam of purple energy flew past them, right at the spot where they had been. They quickly jumped to their feet, Clint’s face tear streaked and covered in dust and Natasha looking just as disheveled and distraught, but now there was an edge there, their instincts taking over in the face of a threat. Fight or flight.

Thanos noticed it too. “I commend your bravery, though your foolishness will be the end of you.” He stretched his hand out to Tony, looking him in the eye once more. “You won’t be able to save the universe this time, Stark.” He strolled forward, calm and confident and completely in control. “I will make sure you watch their blood soak the ground before I finally end you.”

Tony didn’t have anything to say. No witty response, no tongue-in-cheek comeback. He just gave Natasha and Clint a terrified look. It was an unspoken question. Fight or flight. He knew that they would follow his lead.

He ran.

* * *

 

There was only that brief second of recognition before the Winter Soldier dragged Steve towards him, aiming to use his forward momentum to slam Steve’s face against the steel of his shoulder. Steve quickly rolled out of the way, wrenching his wrist from the Soldier’s grasp as he went, coming to stop on one knee beside him.

The Winter Soldier’s eyes searched Steve, taking everything in - looking for any possible weaknesses to exploit, chinks in the armor that could be torn into to his advantage.

“Steve, what’s going on?” Tony asked from down the hall, from behind the Soldier.

His cold eyes darted to the side, towards the sound of Tony’s voice, and Steve knew what that look meant as soon as he saw it.

He’d found his target.

Just as the Soldier had swept around, coming to his feet in one fluid motion, Steve was jumping to his feet, lunging at him. He tackled him to the ground, managing to get him to the floor with pure brute strength. He felt a hard blow to his temple that had him seeing stars, but Steve wasn’t letting go as he put him into as best a headlock as he could manage.

“Tony, run!” he shouted, frantically looking at his friend.

He could see the hesitation on Tony’s face, the stubborn determination starting to come over his features as he took a step towards Steve.

“No - no you have to run - run, Tony!” he cried.

The Winter Soldier rose to a crouch, grabbing Steve from behind, grabbing fistfuls of his shirt and jacket as he tossed him over the shoulder as if he weighed nothing.

Steve hit the ground hard, the wind getting knocked out of him - but he was glad he was wearing his helmet as it’d helped him avoid another bad hit to the head.

Wait - wearing his helmet?

One quick glance down as he scrambled to his feet told him that he was indeed in his uniform, but he couldn’t dwell on that. He needed to focus on the Soldier.

The Soldier rushed him, meaning to barrel past him, but Steve held his ground, going for another grapple to try and get him to the floor again.

This time the Soldier was prepared, ducking at the last second and ramming his shoulder into Steve’s stomach. Pain exploded in his abdomen, making the muscles seize, but he only grit his teeth and shoved the Soldier back.

He could hear running footsteps, and he prayed that they were running away. He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to keep Tony safe in this kind of fight - not if he wanted to keep Bucky safe too.

Steve’s chest heaved, his eyes pricking with tears. All he ever wanted to do was keep them both safe - but all he ever did was hurt them. He abandoned both Tony and Bucky leaving one for the other and then leaving when he knew he’d never see the other again. He was a shitty friend, a shitty person, a shitty -

Taking a shaky breath, Steve cut off that train of thought. If there was ever a time to prove himself, now was the time. He needed to get his shit together.

“Okay, buddy,” Steve got out, his voice coming out as a groan after that blow to the stomach. “I know you’re in there.”

The Winter Soldier’s mouth twisted into a grimace but his eyes flashed, the cold steel there melting for a second into the familiar soft grey he’d grown so fond of.

That was all he needed to see to know there was a chance. “C’mon, Bucky, I can see you in there.”

“I’m not,” he ground out, throwing two punches at Steve that were deflected, “Bucky.”

Steve had been expecting that kind of resistance. “You’re in there, and I’m going to get you out.” He put his hands up, palms facing the Soldier in as non threatening a manner as he could muster in such dire circumstances. “I’m here, we’ve got this.”

There was a split second hesitation in the Soldier, another flash of soft grey, but it was gone as quickly as it’d come as the Winter Soldier descended upon him.

No matter how long it would take, Steve was going to fight to get Bucky back.

* * *

 

Peter coughed out a sob, dust and tears coating his throat, threatening to choke him. He was hunched over, on his hands and knees, the dark and the weight of it all pushing him towards the breaking point.

“Aunt May? Mr. Stark?” he called out hoarsely.

There was a small groan to his right, just as he heard his Aunt gasp to his left, “Peter, Peter, I’m here - oh thank God, please, baby, tell me, are you okay?”

“I -” he began, pausing to take a deep breath. There was a steel beam pressed into his shoulders, something that would have easily crushed him if it wasn’t for his super strength. He let the breath out, putting his hands beneath the beam and slowly getting to one knee. “I’m okay,” he got out.

He shifted the beam, meaning to move it off him so he could get to his Aunt. He had only moved it an inch to the right when he heard a pained shout - Tony.

“Aunt May, I-I think Mr. Stark’s really hurt,” he moved the beam to the left a little, starting to shuffle his way to where he’d heard Tony when May cried out.

Peter immediately lifted the beam more, moving back to where he’d been but now putting all his strength into lifting it up.

“A-are you okay, Aunt May?” he asked shakily.

“Yes, Peter, I-I’m just stuck, I can’t move, I can’t push anything off me,” she answered, her voice muffled and strained.

“P-peter? Kid?” Tony weakly coughed out.

“I-I’m here. I’m here,” he repeated, bracing his hands against the beam, keeping it up. He glanced up, following it's path now that his eyes had adjusted to the dark. To the left he could see his Aunt, just her upper body as she slowly tried to pull herself out of the rubble. To the right he could see Tony, left arm pinned beneath debris, an iron rod impaled in his right thigh, keeping him stuck where he lay.

The beam ended above both of their heads.

If Peter moved to the left, towards his Aunt, and he lifted the beam to help get her out, he’d be crushing Tony. If he moved to the right, towards Tony, and he lifted the beam to help get him out, he’d be crushing his Aunt May.

Peter felt the sob that had been building break past his lips. The beam shifted as the sob shook him, and he quickly scrambled to hold it back up, to keep it steady. Tony wasn’t wearing his suit and Aunt May was just Aunt May - if he didn’t keep the rubble from completely collapsing on them they’d be crushed.

He swallowed down his tears as best as he could, balancing the weight on his shoulders. Some dust tumbled down from above, the creaks and groans of the broken ceiling threatening to finish crashing down.

May and Tony were both moving sluggishly, bloody and beaten and hurt as they tried to pull themselves out. There was another creak from up above.

Peter closed his eyes, tears running down his face. He fought to keep the memories out of his head, memories of the Vulture and the warehouse and having to claw his way out of there all by himself. He fought to keep down the fear and anxiety that crawled up his throat. He bowed his head, instead focusing intently on the task at hand. He had to get May and Tony out. He just had to.

He just hoped he could keep the building up to give them enough time to pull themselves out.

* * *

 

Nebula sprinted forward, her daggers in her hands as she rushed up to Thanos. She slid beneath his legs, slicing his calf and his thigh before whipping up and stabbing him in the back of the knee.

He shouted in pain, swatting Nebula back with one hand, enough to push her back but not enough to send her to the ground.

Quill wiped the tears out of his face, following Nebula and pulling out his gun. Rocket was right by his side, doing the same, with Groot and Mantis bringing up the rear.

They were going to fight this to the end - together.

Rocket and Quill had just gotten in a couple of shots that Thanos had deflected when they heard a violent and guttural roar coming from behind Thanos, from somewhere off the cliff. The roar only grew louder and more bloodthirsty as it got close, and suddenly Drax was cresting the edge of the cliff, dual knives out and ready as he charged Thanos.

It was enough a rallying cry as any as the rest of the Guardians closed in on him too.

* * *

 

Stephen cradled his hands to his chest, feeling how hard they shook. Tears began to run down his face as he held his hands, holding them tight to try and stop the tremors that wracked through them. His breaths were coming in shallower and shallower. He was starting to hyperventilate.

He remembered everything. The accident, the failed procedures, the hundreds of thousands of dollars down the drain, his ruined career.

As he held his hands, he could feel something beneath his left glove - the one he hadn’t taken off. A ring.

Stephen remembered everything - remembered Kamar-Taj and becoming Sorcerer Supreme and fighting for the fate of the universe.

He shakily pulled off the glove, finding his sling ring sitting on his fingers. It was the anchor he needed to reel him back from where he had started to spiral over the precipice.

The memories kept coming. He remembered every single one of the 14,000,605 timelines, remembered taking the only shot to victory. He remembered Tony dying for that shot - a victory at too high a price. He remembered joining everyone and coming to Vormir.

But he did not remember leaving the lonely planet.

He slid off from the operating table, lifting his hands in front of him. He took a deep, steadying breath, holding his left hand steady as he began to make a counterclockwise circle in the air with his right hand. He didn’t know where he was going, but he knew he had to go and find the others - the place would present itself, he was sure of it.

A few orange sparks appeared around the center of the circle before sputtering out, Stephen’s hands shaking too hard and his mind racing too fast for him to properly focus.

Dropping his arms, he closed his eyes, taking another deep breath. He had to do this. They all needed each other here, he had to find the rest of the team.

Lifting his hands again, Stephen started to go through the motions, focusing as hard as he could on the spell - focusing as hard as he could on his friends, and hoping that would be enough for his magic to find them.

* * *

 

Wanda continued down the alley even as everything around her dissipated into black smoke, solidifying again as rocky crags and howling winds all around her. She could still see Thanos, saw the way he fired a beam of energy at a pair of strangers up ahead.

She saw how they scattered and ran, running for cover against the Titan. As Wanda got closer she recognized one of the two.

“Clint?” she got out, her voice almost a gasp, her magic flickering around her.

He turned towards her, recognition in his eyes from where he was now crouched beneath a pile of rocks. “Wanda? Wanda, oh thank God!”

Her response never came as suddenly they both heard Thanos shout in pain, followed by gunfire and a wild, frenzied shout. Clint peeked over the rocks as Wanda watched the Guardians of the Galaxy converge on Thanos, swinging and slashing and shooting as they surrounded him. For a split second, it seemed like he was overwhelmed.

Then there was a flash of purple, like a bomb detonating at the center of the group, sending everyone flying back and away from him.

Wanda ran forward, catching the few that she saw flying towards her and cushioning their fall to the ground as she came to stand a half dozen yards away from the Titan.

He barely even paid her any mind, already lifting up the gauntlet to just get it over with.

The sight of the Mind Stone against the metal of the gauntlet had Wanda seeing red as her eyes spilled furious tears - and suddenly she wasn’t the only one seeing red anymore.

* * *

 

Another explosion rocked the ship, making Thor lose his footing as he had begun to stand after the first bombardment. “We need - we need to get to the others! We need to make sure they’re safe!” he shouted.

Bruce was holding on fast to a small side table that was bolted to the ground. He shook his head frantically. “We can’t worry about the others, they’re not real!”

Thor threw him a furtive look. “What do you mean they’re not real?” It should have sounded like a question, but it came out sounding more like an accusation.

Loki broke in from where he was getting into a crouch. “Banner’s right - this, whatever this is, is just another go with the Soul Stone.” He fought the urge to growl. “Some other fucking test.”

There was no decisive moment of realization for Thor, no gasp at the information - if anything, he simply seemed accepting, the defeat of it weighing on his shoulders. “I knew there was something wrong - I just - I didn’t want to believe it.” He looked over at Loki. “I really wanted this to be a second chance, one where we could bring our people to safety.”

The ship rocked as another explosion tore through it.

Pulling himself to his feet, Loki looked away. He couldn’t bear to see how heartbroken his brother was. “We can’t dwell on that now - we have to find a way to get ourselves out of here before Thanos boards the ship,” Loki rushed out.

All the color drained from Bruce’s face. “Do you really think -”

“We know how this ends, Banner,” Loki snapped, feeling his neck grow hot and itchy. He’d managed to evade dying by Thanos’ hand once - what would happen if he couldn’t manage it a second time? “And I want to avoid a repeat of that, if that’s even possible.”

Thor got up as well, pulling Bruce up with him. “We’ll find a way - maybe there’s a jump point that will help us shake him?”

“That’s as good a plan as any,” Loki got out quickly, running for the door. The ship shook, causing him to stumble against the wall. “Control room’s not far from here.”

Bruce and Thor fell into step behind him, going as fast as they could while trying not to get thrown about by the explosions that hit the ship. The emergency lights were flashing and sirens were blaring, making it more disorienting as they went on.

After what felt like the longest run of their lives, they finally made it to the control room - and, as had been expected, it was empty. Thor and Loki quickly slid into the pilot seats, strapping in while Bruce just clung to the side of Thor’s seat. They started punching in codes and commands, willing the ship to try and get away. There were red pop ups appearing over different sections of the ship on a central diagram on the console, red pop ups that were multiplying and multiplying by the second.

“I don’t think this thing will be able to handle a jump,” Loki said grimly.

Thor typed a few short keystrokes on the console tablet, pulling up what appeared to be a small star map. “We’ve just gotta get this thing grounded then. We can’t fight him on a broken ship.” He zeroed in on the closest planet, insides coiling in nervousness as he saw what planet it was.

Loki met his gaze anxiously as well. “Is there nothing else that’s near?”

“Not unless we jump,” Thor grimaced. “I think it wants us there.”

“Wants us where?” Bruce asked. He tried to focus on the name of the planet, but couldn’t find it with everything jostling around so much. “What planet is it?”

“Titan,” Loki answered, hands tight on the controls as he initiated the orbital entry sequence. “We’re going to Titan.”

* * *

 

Stephen tried again, holding his left hand steady and making the circle with his right. This time the orange sparks remained for a second longer, a strong wind blowing dust and sand into the operating room.

Then they petered out, extinguishing in the air and leaving him alone in the operating room.

* * *

 

As the bullets began to rain down, Rhodey and Sam quickly jumped in front of Fury and Maria, Sam shielding both himself and Agent Hill with his wings and Rhodey taking the bullets to the back of his suit.

Maria pulled out the small pistol she had in a concealed holster, shooting one of the STRIKE members in the elbow and making him drop his gun while quickly dispatching the other one with a well placed shot to the head. Fury had pulled out his own gun, shooting three rounds at the bullet proof glass, all in the same spot, sending cracks spider webbing across its surface.

Sam immediately saw what he was doing, taking to the air as he shot behind him at Rumlow and Pierce, flying at the glass before tucking into a little ball, impacting it with his jetpack.

He really hoped that the model he was wearing was the vibranium wings that Shuri had fashioned for him when they were fugitives, or else his flying was definitely fucked.

The glass shattered, shards flying everywhere as Rhodey, Fury, and Maria ran forward, following close behind Sam. Rhodey sent out a flurry of bullets from the small artillery mount that appeared out of his shoulder, effectively keeping their pursuers at bay for a second.

“Rhodes, where’s your ride?” Maria shouted as they ran towards the parking lot.

“Already on it,” Rhodey answered, and they could hear an engine roaring from further in the lot, the squeal of tires on asphalt as the sleek Stark sports car racing towards them.

Alarms had begun to blare all around SHIELD Headquarters, the tinny, automated voice that  instructed them during emergencies coming out of the speakers.

More soldiers were pouring out from behind them, with Rumlow at the forefront of the group. He was shouting orders and giving directions, all the while avoiding Sam and Rhodey’s gunfire. Fury and Maria were focused on running for the car, trusting that Rhodey and Sam had their backs.

The car screeched to a halt in front of them, opening it's doors as FRIDAY’s serene voice filtered through. “Ready to go whenever you are, Colonel Rhodes.”

“Everyone in the fucking car, now!” Fury ordered.

Maria didn’t need to be told twice, quickly sliding over the hood of the car and jumping into the passenger seat. Sam dove into the open backseat, retracting his wings in time to keep them from colliding with the car.

Rhodey stood on the roof of the car, digging his fingers into the metal as he held on. “I’m going to stay here and hit them with all I’ve got.”

Fury nodded, twisting to get into the driver’s seat as a bullet caught him in the shoulder, passing through cleanly but tearing through him like a bitch.

“Motherfucker,” Fury cursed as the door slid shut behind him and FRIDAY tore off down the lot.

“Okay, so, what’s the plan?” Sam asked from the backseat.

Maria and Fury shared a look. Fury had his right hand pressed into his shoulder, trying to staunch the flow of blood.

“Guys?” Sam repeated.

“Get the fuck out of here,” Fury ground out. He turned to Sam, the sound of gunfire peppering FRIDAY’s bullet proof exterior and War Machine’s retaliatory strikes ringing around them. “That’s the plan.”

* * *

 

Hope stared at all the machines, uncomprehending and unwilling to move. It couldn’t be real, this had already happened - her parents were safe. Scott, where was Scott -

The blip on the back wall sounded louder, just as the quantum gate began to vibrate. The machines that were taking in the readings from the gate began to whir insistently, churning up code and sequences of numbers in a flurry of text.

It couldn’t be anything good.

Rushing forward, Hope saw that the machine was growing unstable. The energy was starting to overload the machine, with the power surging through it having nowhere to go but inward. In all the simulations they had run, this had been the worst possible scenario.

Hope quickly got to work, rapidly typing in counter sequences to combat the errors that were coming up, changing inputs and outputs to try and bring the machines back to equilibrium.

The back wall cut to static before the blip reappeared. Hope felt her heart stutter in her chest. The threat of losing them loomed over her, overwhelming and immediate; she needed to figure out what was wrong, fast - or she would lose them both, all over again.

* * *

 

Scott was one step behind Hope, watching as she flung open the back door and quickly stepped out into the yard. He followed her through, expecting to feel himself step on the ground as he went outside, but finding nothing around him.

Someone had turned out the lights. There was no pressure around him, no warm sunshine, no smell of delicious food. No Hope calling out for her parents as she began to panic.

Fear began to rise up his throat like vomit. Scott opened and closed his eyes a few times, patting himself across the chest and arms, feeling his heart sink as he felt the familiar suit that covered him.

He turned around frantically, moving as if he were swimming through jell-o. His body found no purchase in the vast nothingness around him, the crushing loneliness beginning to suffocate him as he came to grips with where he was.

In the quantum realm, all by himself.

* * *

 

Letting out a harsh breath of frustration, Stephen tried again. Left hand steady, right hand creating the portal.

The orange sparks followed his fingers, steady this time, opening up the portal about a foot wide. Wind and dust whipped through again, and he finally caught a solid glimpse of what was on the other side.

He recognized the crags and clay, the inhospitable, broken terrain. But more than anything, he recognized the imposing figure standing at the center of it all, purple energy pulsing in the air around him. He could hear shouts and screams - he instantly knew who he was hearing.

Thanos turned, catching his gaze through the portal.

Stephen froze where he stood, the portal falling in on itself.

He allowed himself only a second to dwell on what he saw, immediately shaking himself out of it and putting his hands up again. He had to get through - he  _ had  _ to.

* * *

 

Okoye swung her spear, going with the blunt end forward to try and disarm and subdue. That was all she could bear to do to fight them.

“Hey - what - Okoye, what are you doing?” T’Challa shouted, jumping back and easily dodging the spear.

She said nothing as she swung out towards Shuri this time, jostling her out of her shock. Shuri managed to dodge out of the way too, but not quickly enough as the spear clipped her arm.

“We’re not traitors and you know it!” she yelled, her words both at Okoye and King T’Chaka. “Baba is being unreasonable - he’s not being himself!”

Okoye shook her head, tossing the spear to the ground as she rushed forward. She tackled T’Challa to the ground, using her lower center of gravity to her advantage.

It also helped that he was pulling his punches.

“You’re my friend, Okoye,” T’Challa gasped out as he threw her off, rolling into a crouch and putting himself between her and Shuri. “You went against an unjust king before, you can do it again,” he reminded her.

Tears sprung to her eyes but she just shook her head again. “I don’t think I can this time,” she said quietly.

“Why not?” Shuri demanded. She was stepping back, away from them all, moving towards the door as it opened behind her.

“Because, this is your father,” she answered, charging at T’Challa and catching him with a blow to the chest, using the momentum to carry her into a kick to his ribs.

He caught her foot, throwing her backwards. She caught herself with ease.

Neither was giving it their all. No one really wanted to fight.

Shuri could see her father behind T’Challa and Okoye, could see the shadow that was hanging over him, dark and ominous as it loomed over his side of the room. His hands were dripping blood, his fingers curled and cruel, almost looking like claws.

“We do not have all day, General,” T’Chaka hissed. “Finish with the traitors then move on with the threat.”

There were sounds of a struggle behind her before the door shut again, and she turned around just in time to see the guards throw N’Jadaka into the chamber before shutting the door. His eyes were glassy and unfocused, but with each blink he seemed to be gathering his bearings, realizing what was happening.

His eyes locked on hers, and a cold hatred shone through.

A new piece into the mix, one that was certainly going to be less gentle than Okoye - and one that was struggling against his bindings with more and more strength as T’Challa and Okoye fought on behind her.

* * *

 

Gamora turned to run back onto the ship but found nothing but barren wasteland and stone. That didn’t stop her.

She ran as fast as she could, ignoring the sudden shouts and screams behind her. Thanos was standing on a cliff, looking down on her, and it was too much, too much, too much -

It was too much like how she’d died, his face the last thing she saw as she plummeted off the cliff on Vormir. It was too much like the trial she’d gone through, seeing his face over and over and over again in every iteration of her death as she’d been thrown into the incinerator. She couldn’t handle it anymore.

Crouching down behind a large enough rock, she let herself catch her breath, her head between her hands as she came up with something, anything to do. She could try and find Thanos’ base, where there was sure to be a ship she could steal. But she had to find Peter and Nebula and the rest of the team - they had to be somewhere with her, they couldn’t have just  _ disappeared _ -

A looming shadow cut her train of thought short as she glanced up, her eyes widening as she scrambled to her feet, taking off at a full sprint to try and make it out alive.

* * *

 

“I can’t pull the ship up - all of the landing gear is damaged beyond repair,” Loki said through gritted teeth. He was frantically punching in commands and moving the steering pad, trying desperately to find some way to get them to land safely.

Titan’s surface raced to meet them, and they knew they wouldn’t survive a crash at those speeds.

Bruce shakily got to his feet between Loki and Thor’s seats. “Take off your seatbelts,” he told them.

“What?” Thor asked, glancing over his shoulder as he helped Loki try and find a solution.

“Take off your seatbelts,” he repeated, putting a hand on each of their shoulders to steady himself.

“Banner, while I know the belts won’t keep us from  _ dying _ in the crash, I do need to stay in my seat to try and find a way to get out of this,” Loki shot back, turning to Bruce for a split second, catching the way his skin was changing to a dark green.

“Thinking on your feet, good, good,” Loki immediately amended, unstrapping himself and getting out of his chair as Thor did the same.

“Strongest Avenger to the rescue,” Thor grinned.

Hulk gave him a curt nod, grabbing Thor and Loki and running towards the nearest exit off the ship.

* * *

 

Sweat beaded his brow as Stephen clenched his fists, breathing deeply before lifting his hands.

“C’mon, Strange, c’mon,” he muttered, closing his eyes as he began the spell.

Left hand steady, right hand counterclockwise.

Despite fighting back his emotions the entire time he’d been trying to make this portal, this time he couldn’t keep back the tears that ran down his face.

All of his fears and anxieties and worries filled him, shaking him to his core. He still had his eyes screwed shut, not wanting to see his failure,  _ again _ , when suddenly he felt wind flooding all around him, sending dust into his face.

He took a shaky breath, holding the spell for a few more cycles before finally opening his eyes.

The portal glowed bright orange around the edges, the expanse of Titan just over the threshold.

Stephen dropped his arms, feeling the natural tremors on them amplified from both exhaustion and anxiety. He wiped the sweat and tears off his face, steeling himself as he crossed through the portal, just in time to see a giant ship crash into the ground, kicking up a dust storm that rushed straight for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, there's that. Tell me why Peter's section was highkey the hardest for me to write for in terms of emotionality. That shit hurted. I also really liked Stephen's scenes, like idk just the idea of him struggling out of nervousness and stress just felt right man
> 
> Alsoooo, Imma be participating in NaNoWriMo, so y'know, pray for me guys cuz imma basically die all through the month. I'm going to publish more chapters as soon as possible, but I'm trying to just put out the best for you guys, so thank you so much for being so patient
> 
> I love you all so much, thank you so much for reading! I really hope you liked this latest chapter! Comments and kudos give me the strength to break through whatever roadblocks may arise, love you all my lovelies!!!!


	14. Darkest Hour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is always darkest right before dawn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hear ye, hear ye, feast your eyes upon the fruits of my labor on the first day of NaNoWriMo!
> 
> While I wrote this on Dia de los Santos, guess I'm publishing on Dia de los Muertos, so y'know, if you celebrate(d) either, I hope you have tons of fun!
> 
> I'm super thrilled about this chapter like idk man this is one of those chapters that i'm like damn i really, /really/ love this, and I hope you guys like it too!
> 
> Feliz Dia de los Muertos @ the Russo brothers, not because they died or anything but because they're dead to me and i'm coming for their lives as I get closer to fixing this shit

The dust cloud raced across the ground, just as a lone figure broke past it, sprinting straight for Stephen. He recognized her, and, holding his ground, waited until she had run past him before conjuring up a barrier, shielding them from the sandstorm.

Gamora ducked behind him, too preoccupied about getting away from the crashing ship to stop and see who had helped her. As she finally looked up at him she realized it was Stephen Strange, holding his own against the buffeting maelstrom around them. His Cloak of Levitation whipped around him from the wind, and Stephen released a sigh of relief he hadn’t realized he’d been holding onto for so long when he saw he had his trusted friend back.

As the wall of dirt and debris passed over them and settled, they suddenly heard another loud crash, this one much closer to them. The small cloud of dust that got kicked up dissipated much quicker than the other one, revealing a huge green mass of pure muscle.

Hulk stood tall, letting go of Loki and Thor before letting out a giant roar and charging straight for the cliff where everyone else was fighting Thanos. Thor swung his giant axe around a few times before using it to propel him forward while Loki ran after them, unsheathing daggers and using his teleportation magic to teleport him closer a couple dozen feet at a time.

Stephen glanced over at Gamora, then nodded towards the battle on the cliff. “Just one more fight,” he told her, already starting to make his way over, creating orange stepping stones out of arcane magic so he could run straight for the cliff.

She nodded, taking a deep breath but not saying anything, her hand to her chest as her heart thundered against her palm. She wanted to follow Strange, knew that any and every fighter they had was needed during the fight, but she felt like she couldn’t move. She just stood there, watching as the stepping stones vanished as Stephen got further away, trying to work up the courage to follow.

* * *

 

They sped down the parking lot, Rhodey shooting behind them, making sure to also hit any cars around so that they would have a harder time following them. He saw a small number of soldiers break apart from the main group, running around and away from them. Something of that rubbed Rhodey wrong, but he couldn’t worry about that when the group behind them was struggling with giant rocket launchers and huge rifles to try and blow them to bits.

“I don’t think we can outrun them in this,” Rhodey shouted into his comm, his voice filtering through FRIDAY’s speakers.

Fury glanced behind them, then looked around quickly, spotting the hangars out in the field.

“It's the only way,” Maria said, reading Fury’s mind as he turned to her. “Hulk did it, we lost him and couldn’t bring it back - we can do it.”

Sam glanced between the two of them as he pulled out two pistols, fumbling to lower the window as he got out, “You two gonna keep talking in your own secret code or you gonna tell us what the hell you’ve got in mind?” He pulled himself halfway out the window, balancing himself on the edge as he began to shoot at the STRIKE members.

“The plan’s not changing - we’re just getting ourselves on a jet,” Fury informed them. “FRIDAY, get us to the eastern hangars, don’t stop until we’re at the Avengers series quinjets.”

“Got it,” FRIDAY answered, changing the car’s course to accommodate the destination.

There was a loud explosion as the car lurched forward, fishtailing for a second before straightening out again.

“What the hell was that?” Fury shouted, his hand pressed firmly to his shoulder as the movement sent a lance of pain down his arm.

“They sure don’t want us to get away, they’re using some damn heavy artillery,” Sam quipped, dropping back inside as he quickly reloaded before getting back into his previous position. “I would try to shoot them while I flew, but a hit from one of those and I’m toast - can’t risk that.”

He could see Rhodey’s chest plate opening up, a beam of raw arc energy tearing into the cars around them, causing a chain reaction of explosions down the lot, the smoke obscuring them from sight.

“Nice shot, Tin Man,” Sam grinned.

Rhodey turned to glance at him, and while the helmet remained stoic Sam could picture the look he was giving him. “I thought that was Tony’s nickname.”

Sam shrugged. “Y’all are both Tin Men when you’re in the suit.”

With a shake of his head, Rhodey continued firing blindly at the group behind them, the small bursts of fire the only sign that he was hitting any marks.

“Less than a mile away,” Fury told them.

As they drifted out of the lot, another car flew out of the smoke, a military grade vehicle, directly parallel to them. Rumlow was manning the weapons nest in the back.

The missile launcher he had trained on them glowed a bright blue before firing, sending a pulse of energy slamming into the car. They careened to the side from the impact, all of the displays on the dashboard flickering and shorting out, with the small bits of text visible being nothing short of gibberish.

“He scrambled FRIDAY’s displays, she’s not on autopilot anymore,” Maria scowled, wasting no time at tearing open the control center and trying to start a manual reboot.

“Same here,” Rhodey ground out, opening up his face plate and blinking out the harsh lights that had exploded across his helmet’s internal displays. “He jammed my guns and my cannon.”

“We’re almost there,” Fury said through gritted teeth, letting go of his arm as he grabbed onto the steering wheel, thankful that the STARK tech didn’t automatically lock up when it's smart systems were compromised. “May be a bumpier ride than with FRIDAY piloting, but I’ll get us there - just keep them busy a little longer.”

Sam was only half listening as he watched Rumlow fiddle with something on the missile launcher, before it began glowing orange and the tip of a rocket peeking out from the barrel.

“I can take it,” Rhodey told Sam, making Sam snap his attention to him. “My thrusters are working fine, I can take it.”

That was a damn lie, and they both knew it, because if the car wasn’t going to be able to take it, Rhodey wouldn’t either, but he didn’t even get a chance to argue as Rumlow fired the rocket.

Rhodey was already getting up from his crouch, turning to face Rumlow head on as Sam jumped out of the window, wings spreading as he crested over the car and Rhodey. It was time for him to take the hit.

* * *

 

Before Rocket hit the ground, he was suddenly surrounded by red energy, slowing his descent before dropping him quickly to the floor. He saw Groot and Mantis being dropped to the ground in a similar fashion as Wanda Maximoff marched passed them, murder in her eyes and pulses of red energy all around her.

Thanos lifted the gauntlet, ready to close his fist and attack but Wanda screamed, thrusting her hands forward and sending two whips of energy at him, one wrapping around the gauntlet, keeping his hand open, and the other tightening around his throat, squeezing and squeezing as he choked.

“You will pay for what you’ve done,” she snarled closing her fists as the whips strained around him.

Eyes flashing as he reached for the gauntlet with his free hand, Thanos closed his fist over one of the stones before his image shimmered, and suddenly it wasn’t Thanos anymore, it was a man with red skin and a gold cape, who gasped out, “Wanda, please.”

She faltered, her hands shaking and the whips slackening in their hold.

“He’s not real!” Mantis shouted just as Rocket swung his gun forward, setting the man in his sights.

The man’s pleading expression morphed into a sneer as his fist began to shine.

Wanda’s eyes widened as she closed her fists again, the whips tightening but it was too late. A beam of pure energy arced straight for her, and she barely had a chance to bring up a wall of red to block the brunt of it as it sent her flying back, forcing her into a nearby sheet of rock.

Thanos’ form shimmered back, the sneer still on his face before he took a bullet to the face, carving a groove through his chin.

“Almost took that damn nutsack off your face!” Rocket called out, readying another shot as he began to run for cover.

* * *

 

The only sounds around him was the sound of his Aunt and Tony’s ragged breathing and the small tumble of rubble and stone as they worked on digging themselves out. Peter kept as still as possible, holding everything up. Sweat was rolling down his face, stinging as it got into the cuts and scrapes along his cheeks. The gash on his forehead had blood getting into his eyes, forcing him to suppress the urge to wipe it off so he could see better.

Peter focused on his breathing, ignoring the strain of his muscles or how much he wanted to shift his stance into something that might help him hold everything up a little better. He didn’t dare move, especially since every few seconds or so another plume of dust would rain down as the roof groaned under it's own weight, pushing down on Peter.

He felt something give above his hands, a small creak as the metal bent infinitesimally, giving it the ever so slightest ‘v’ shape. They were running out of time.

Blinking the blood and tears out of his eyes, Peter glanced up, quickly locating the dent, near his left hand, and now the threat of it collapsing inward, of everything coming crashing down on him loomed suffocatingly closer. He felt his breath catch in his throat, making it harder to take in air as his lungs seized in his chest. He couldn’t even move to try and calm himself, he just had to do his best to hold still, Atlas beneath the weight that would crush his whole world.

Another mote of dust fell, a few pebbles clattering to the ground. Peter glanced over at May then at Tony, seeing that they were nowhere near being close to free. Tony looked pale beneath the blood and grime on him, his right leg bent and slowly, ever so painfully slowly, trying to pull itself off the rod. His arm was still crushed beneath the rubble, so even if he managed to tear his leg free, he would still be pinned in place.

May wasn’t faring any better. She was struggling to roll the beams and reinforced plaster off of her, slowly pulling herself out inch by painstaking inch. There was blood coating the front of her shirt, and Peter’s heart sank as he realized that there was a very real possibility that they would both bleed out before they managed to escape.

Peter’s hand slipped, making him quickly scramble to reposition himself properly. There was a loud groan from above and more dust, but nothing else. He let out a tiny sigh of relief. He looked back up, once again mapping the beam, trying to find a faster way to get them out.

His eyes followed the beam until it ended over Tony, noticing a big part of the ceiling that leaned against it. He glanced down to see where that slab ended, suppressing the urge to cover his mouth as he realized where it was.

That particular piece of ceiling was the part that was crushing Tony’s arm to the ground, and if he were to lift up the beam he was holding, he was sure it would push the slab off and away from Tony, freeing his arm - and greatly increasing his chances of escape.

He quickly turned to his Aunt May, searching the space above her to see if there was any wiggle room to be had that would let him lift the beam on Tony’s side and keep it from getting anywhere near crushing her.

Cursing internally, he saw that there was nothing that could be done, instead turning his eyes on what was on the ground near her, looking for rubble or pieces of plaster that may be easier for her to kick out of her way. He found an iron pipe from the plumbing sticking out not too far away, and as he followed that into the rubble, he could see it pressed against he Aunt’s stomach, beneath the other debris that was covering her.

Taking a risk, Peter slowly got onto one foot, trying to reach for the pipe and step on it, intending to lift it from her end and get her free, which would leave him in the clear to dropping the beam onto her side once she got out.

He barely managed to graze it with the edge of his sneaker, growing more desperate with each passing second as his arms began to shake, kicking at it in frustration before immediately going back and holding the beam up steady, standing firm once more.

Peter glared at the pipe through his tears, turning from the pipe to the slab that pinned Tony to the beam over his head. His eyes zeroed in on the tiny dent near his left hand. He swallowed down the lump that had immediately lodged itself in his throat, eyes running over the pipe and the slab and the beam once again.

There was a way to get them out - but Peter wasn’t going to make it.

* * *

 

Tony peeked over from the rocks that he was hiding behind, glancing over and finding where he’d seen Natasha and Clint had run off to. He saw Natasha peeking out from behind where they’d taken cover, turning and saying something off to the side, to Clint most likely.

A gunshot rang out followed by Thanos’ angry roar, and Tony turned just in time to see as Thanos punched into the ground, opening a fissure that raced towards Rocket as he ran away. It opened up beneath him, sending a pillar of stone shooting upward, slamming into Rocket and launching him skyward.

“I AM GROOT!” Groot shouted, sprinting towards Rocket and catching him in midair, cushioning his fall and rolling away from another pillar that shot out of the ground.

Seeing the pillars, Natasha rushed forward, using them for cover as she flanked around Thanos, heading to where she’d seen Quill and Nebula had been flung by the blast of the Power Stone.

Clint climbed onto the rock he’d been behind quickly, notching an arrow and sending it flying at Thanos.

The Titan noticed the arrow with plenty of time to spare, lifting the gauntlet to intercept it as the arrow exploded, shrouding him in smoke and flames as Clint slid back behind cover.

There was more gunfire and a bellow of rage as Quill staggered out from where he’d been, sending out a few shots as Drax charged. Tony saw that Natasha was right behind Quill, shooting parallel to him with a large rifle that he was sure he’d seen strapped to Nebula’s belt before.

Thanos shouted, the smoke glowing purple for a brief moment before a blur of blue dodged out of the cloud as Nebula steadied herself, readying her blades before running back into the smoke.

Tony took a step out, towards the fight, before he heard Drax shout in pain and Nebula’s loud curses. He quickly slumped back to the ground behind cover, his heart pounding out of his chest as he closed his eyes, hands at his temples. There was nothing he could do in combat in his state - Thanos would tear him to shreds - but he had to come up with something.

He’d defeated Thanos once, and he sure as hell was going to do it again.

* * *

 

Steve dodged out of the way as the Winter Soldier swiped at him with his dagger, once, twice, three times, finally catching him and nicking his suit. It wasn’t enough to pierce skin, but it had come close enough that Steve felt the force behind the strike.

“I’m not gonna fight you. C’mon, Bucky, I know you can fight this,” Steve panted, ducking beneath the punch that the Soldier threw before shoving him away.

The Soldier stumbled, his moves getting more desperate, less thought out - Bucky was trying to wrestle control away from him.

Going in to try and subdue him, Steve came up from behind, wrapping his arms beneath the Soldier’s and bring them up to grab onto the back of his head, restraining him and keeping him from going for a headbutt. Steve brought his foot around his ankle quickly, getting him onto one knee, but the Soldier rolled with the move, rolling Steve beneath him and slamming him into the ground.

Steve gasped in pain as the Soldier slammed him into the ground again, jarring him enough for him to loosen his grip and giving the Winter Soldier all the room he needed to turn around and pin Steve to the ground.

He held him down, pinning his hands beneath his knees as he began to ruthlessly throw punch after punch into his face, his fists coming back bloodier and bloodier and sending a spray of scarlet against the white walls of the hospital.

There was an explosion of pain on Steve’s face, the blows and blood blinding him as he bucked and struggled to shove the Winter Soldier off him.

“B-bucky,” he gasped.

The Winter Soldier shook above him, his fists coming down on the tile on either side of Steve’s head, shattering it.

“I’m not Bucky,” he shouted, wrapping his hands around Steve’s throat as he dragged him up, slamming him against the wall and squeezing tightly.

“You are,” Steve got out, grabbing onto the Winter Soldier’s arms. “Y-you’re Bucky, my first friend, my  _ best _ friend,” he continued, struggling to get every single syllable out. “You - you’re the - the l-”

“Stop!” the Winter Soldier screamed, pulling Steve closer before ramming him back against the wall.

His heartbeat pounded in his ears, and he could feel a wet warmth dripping down his neck.

“Forget about him, he’s not here anymore,” the Winter Soldier ground out, eyes frantic and haunted by all the emotions just beneath the surface.

“I won’t,” Steve quietly managed. He squeezed Bucky’s arms, feeling the warmth of his skin beneath the sleeve of his jacket, and feeling the hard steel of the other. “‘Cause I’m with you til the end of the line,” he choked out.

The Winter Soldier’s eyes were replaced by Bucky’s - warm and soft and oh so sad. “That’s a lie,” he whispered, his voice no longer the stiff, stilted words of the Winter Soldier, but Bucky’s.

Steve wanted to shake his head, wanted to reassure him, but he saw the unspoken words in Bucky’s eyes.  _ You left me. _

Bucky’s expression darkened, the Soldier taking control once more as he threw Steve to the ground, the pained look in Bucky’s eyes pushing out everything else as he crashed to the ground.

* * *

 

Gamora watched as Stephen crested the cliff, following him with her eyes. He dropped near Thanos, sending bolts of magic at him, making Thanos scream and shout as he reached out to try and swipe at him.

A burst of gunfire interrupted his punch, pushing Thanos back. He whirled around angrily, focusing a blast from the gauntlet at his attacker.

Quill screamed in agony, stumbling dangerously close to the edge, falling to his hands and knees. Even from where she stood so far away, Gamora could see blood dripping down his face, could see the way he was shaking as he tried to stagger to his feet.

Thanos loomed over him, fists in the air ready to smash Peter to the ground.

Gamora started running for the cliff.

* * *

 

“Dad - dad, please, tell me you can hear me,” Hope repeated, sending out the message once more. She’d already tried three separate times, and every single time she hadn’t gotten even the ghost of an answer.

Feeling herself growing more nervous, Hope moved from one computer to the other, turning on backup generators and manning the whole operation herself, fearful and scared as the whirring grew even louder as the gate began to grow unstable. There was an energy siphon, one that would swallow any overload and use it to recharge the backups - essentially recycling the energy the gate was giving off to keep it running. It could only be turned on after the initial opening of the gate.

However, once the gate was on, it was too risky for one person to switch the output to the siphon. The procedure was meant for two people, with one who would dim the energy while not losing the connection while the other swapped it quickly - if only one person did it, they’d either have to sever the connection with the quantum realm or take in quantum particles at dangerous levels.

Running back and forth through the lab, checking and double checking results and data, Hope knew she didn’t have any more time to spare. She had to take the risk, otherwise the gate would collapse.

Steeling herself, she ran towards the back of the gate, easily locating the valve that was overloading. Sparks were flying and it was glowing an eerie blue, causing Hope’s confidence to waver. The blip dinged again, sounding soft amidst the chaos of the malfunctioning machines.

The blip, her mom, her dad’s mission before her family was back together again.

If her mom could do it, so could she. 

Taking a deep breath, Hope reached down without any hint of her previous hesitation, wrapping her arms around the output valve and wrestling it free from where it was hooked. She knew there was a more careful approach to it but she couldn’t think about that as her arms felt like they were lit on fire, the energy coursing through her as if she’d touched a live wire to every single nerve of her body.

Gritting her teeth, she stumbled backwards, to where she knew the energy siphon was, almost tripping over it in her rush to get it done. The emergency lights overhead were flashing and the alarms blaring loudly, but Hope had to ignore all of that as she collapsed to her knees, jamming the output nozzle into the siphon.

The sudden absence of the quantum energy was almost worse than when she felt it crawling all over her. She slumped forward, arms still wrapped around the nozzle as she gasped for breath, sounding painfully loud in the now silent lab as everything began to return to equilibrium, the computers whirring softly with their newfound balance.

Chest still heaving, Hope heard the blip on the back wall ding again. She smiled weakly, slowly heaving herself to her feet.

* * *

 

Tony heard Quill’s scream of pain and got up just in time to see him collapse near the cliff’s edge. He watched in horror as Thanos came to stand over him, lifting his arms as he readied himself to deliver the killing blow.

He wasn’t fast enough to follow through as a blur of green suddenly tackled him to the ground, coming from seemingly nowhere.

“Yeah, Brucie!” Tony cheered, watching as the Hulk roared and punched Thanos, pummeling him where he lay on the ground.

The Titan caught his fists in midair, snarling as he shoved him off, but that was enough time for Drax to dash in and grab Quill, running him to safety.

Hulk pushed Thanos down, trying to hold him in his place but Thanos managed to get him off, throwing him off balance as he punched him with the full power of the stones. Hulk flew back, hitting one of the pillars Thanos had created and breaking through it.

“Thanos!” Thor shouted as he ripped through the sky, thundering down beside Thanos and swinging Stormbreaker with all the strength he could muster. Lightning coated the axe, and thunder split the air as it carved into Thanos.

There was an explosion of electricity that erupted around the pair before a burst of blue appeared at the center and suddenly Thanos was standing a dozen feet away from Tony, bleeding from his chest as he glared at Thor.

He ran his hand over his chest, smearing the blood across his armor and sending drops of it to the ground. Thor tracked the movement with a satisfied smile. “Always great to get you to look away,” Thanos grinned.

Thor’s eyes widened as he realized what he meant, and he barely had a chance to lift his axe before Thanos appeared in front of him again, shooting him in the chest. He grabbed onto the blade of Thor’s axe, pushing it down as he tried to get it out of the way so the stones could burn through him.

A dagger caught Thanos in the wrist, breaking his concentration on the stones, letting Thor tear away from his grasp.

Thanos ripped the dagger out of his wrist, immediately recognizing it, turning and finding Loki at the edge of the cliff, a predatory smile on his face. “Still wielding power you can’t control?” he smirked. “I told you you would never be a god.”

* * *

 

Scott curled in on himself, trying to get his breaths to steady as he drifted in the quiet nothingness. He prayed Hope knew what was going on, hoped that she - or anyone really - could figure out how to bring him back.

Drifting along brought an onslaught of memories he had hoped to forget. He remembered the Yellowjacket taking Cassie, threatening her and using her against him. He remembered how scared he felt, terrified that she was going to pay for his mistakes.

Cassie, his sweet little girl. He’d lost so much time with her. All those years in prison and then the years stuck in the quantum realm - and now this, as he drifts off into eternity. She was his number one fan, and his chest squeezed painfully at the thought of disappointing her.

The scared look on her face as the Yellowjacket had her in his grasp replayed in his head, no matter how hard he tried to shake it. He remembered how that look on her face had propelled him to do everything in his power to stop her from being scared - pushing him to sacrifice spending an eternity alone to save her.

He hugged himself tighter, remembering how she was the reason why he’d found his way home too. He remembered her voice, remembered how it rang out in the nothingness.

“ _ Daddy _ ,” she’d called out, the sound echoing all around him. “ _ Where are you?” _

“Where are you?” the voice repeated, no longer in his head. Scott opened his eyes, looking around. “Come back, daddy! Where are you?”

* * *

 

Loki rushed in, creating dozens of copies of himself that split off and ran in every direction. Thanos made a sweeping maneuver with the gauntlet, tearing apart all the copies and sending the real Loki stumbling to the ground, clutching his side in pain.

Stephen ran in between Thanos and Loki, bringing up a shield to keep the stone’s power at bay as Clint and Rocket fired arrows and bullets into him, Hulk shaking himself out of the rubble of the stone tower as he charged forward as well.

Tony took the chance to run out from behind cover, grabbing a firm hold of Loki and dragging him to a safe spot.

“Stark,” Loki greeted, wincing as Tony set him against some rocks.

“Running in like that when all you’ve got is fancy magic tricks was real fucking stupid, Antlers,” Tony quipped, tearing off a part of his shirtsleeve and pressing it against the gaping wound in Loki’s side. 

Loki bristled at that, glaring at Tony. “Is that all my power is to you? Fancy magic tricks?”

“Your fancy magic tricks are just like my fancy little tech suit,” Tony told him, grabbing Loki’s hand and pressing it over the cloth so he could hold it there. “You shouldn’t have run in when you know you can’t take a hit.”

“Ah, so you’re worried about me,” Loki got out once he realized Tony wasn’t belittling his magic, a small laugh blowing past his lips. “You’re getting soft, Iron Man.”

Tony frowned, shaking his head. “Yeah, about that-”

They heard Wanda scream in anger, saw her magic tendrils grab hold of loose boulders and tear them up as she tossed them at Thanos, then felt the ensuing blast of energy as rubble rained down on them.

“I have a plan,” Tony finished. “But I’m going to need your help.”

* * *

 

Shuri backed away from N’Jadaka as one of the bindings on the straitjacket snapped, the chain dangling uselessly to the side. He struggled to get to his knees, a low growl curling his lips.

T’Challa and Okoye were still fighting, dancing around each other in hopes that one or the other would just give up. She went in to kick him but he merely twisted away, aiming for a punch that she artfully dodged.

“Are you really going to keep fighting me?” T’Challa called out, getting into a defensive position. He nodded towards where N’Jadaka had been dumped on the floor, but didn’t turn to look at him. “Our father would have us both dead without fair judgment if we stepped out of the lines he’s created - he created this monster and he wants to turn us into monsters to put N’Jadaka down.”

Okoye turned quickly preparing herself to answer and spring and maybe tackle him to the ground when the shadow at the corner of her vision caught her eye. She turned, horror written on her face as she took in the spectre that was her king.

T’Chaka’s face was sunken and gaunt, eyes merciless and cold as he watched, hands turned to claws that dripped blood, teeth bared in a snarl. Shadows clung to him like a veil, and she could feel the shadows beginning to shroud her vision as well.

She blinked them away, shaking her head and looking at King T’Chaka again, hoping that the vision would have changed but it remained the same - the king was a monster.

“B-baba?” T’Challa choked out, seeing his father for the first time as well.

“General, what are you doing?” T’Chaka screeched. “Finish them!”  
Okoye shook her head, taking a tremulous step towards T’Challa, but standing in front of him, shielding him from his father. “No - your children are right, you are being unreasonable, you’re not yourself - _you’re a monster!_ ”

The shadows plunged everything around him into darkness as a cold fury crossed his face before the look disappeared.

Shuri ran past T’Challa and Okoye, grabbing the spear that Okoye had discarded and whirling around as more metal breaking and fabric tearing could be heard.

“Fine then, General,” T’Chaka said politely. “The threat is sure to tear through all three of you with ease.”

Killmonger rose to his feet, the straitjacket and the chains falling to the floor in ribbons. He met T’Challa’s gaze and grinned.

* * *

 

“This’ll work,” Tony repeated, to Loki or to himself, he wasn’t sure.

Loki didn’t look too convinced, but he didn’t seem strong enough to argue. “You’re sure about this, Anthony?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Tony nodded, peeking over at the ongoing fight from behind the rocks. “I know that piece of shit grape is scared of me - we’ve got to use that to our advantage or he’ll eventually wipe the floor with us.”

Despite still looking like he wanted to argue, Loki nodded in agreement. He gave Tony one last glance. “You better run fast,” Loki said.

Tony squared his shoulders, getting up just as Loki dragged himself to his feet as well so he could see what he was working with. “Don’t worry, he won’t even know what hit him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> eyyyyy so yeah Sam taking the hit 🙃 Steve and Bucky 🙃🙃 and then Peter in his situation 🙃🙃🙃 Loki and Peter Quill's injuries 🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃 and Tony's helplessness since he's a very squishy human 🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃 yeeeah this was THAT chapter but hey, i'm living for it because i know what comes next and it'll sure be fucking something
> 
> I hope you guys liked it, thank you so much for reading!!! I'll be back as soon as I can with the next chapter loves! Now imma fucking pass out because the caffeine I never drink has finally worn off and i'm dead on my feet
> 
> Night night babes!


	15. Below the Horizon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is at the cusp, right below the horizon, at the edge of daybreak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> babes my brain is pudding and I wish I could say more in my notes but just like man, there are scenes in this chapter that I've been planning since day one, like lads they're here and i'm so excited like uuuuuuuugh we out here fix-it fic-ing 2k19
> 
> I really hope you guys like it!

“Hey, Thanos!” Tony called out, coming to stand on top of a mound of boulders, right where he could get Thanos’ attention.

“Stark,” Thanos grinned, expression grotesque from the bullet wound to the chin and a dagger slash to the cheek - compliments from Rocket and Nebula, respectively. “Are you finally going to climb out of the hole you crawled into?” He sent a streak of energy at Wanda, who deflected part of it while dodging out of the rest of the way. Thanos turned to meet Tony’s gaze, “Or will you continue to be a coward?”

“You sure would like that, wouldn’t you?” Tony shot back. He gave him a confident smirk, “But all I ever do is defy expectations - and I’m about to fucking destroy yours, asshole.”

Thanos’ grin slid into a scowl as he turned the stones on Tony, firing them off in his direction. Tony scrambled off the rocks, barely getting out of the way of the beam as he ran for Thanos.

“I would have come up with something better to say than ‘asshole’,” Tony quipped, glancing over at Loki beside him.

Loki didn’t turn to him, instead focusing on the Tony mirage that he had conjured, making sure to keep him running, away and ahead of any of Thanos’ attacks so the illusion would remain believable. “At least I got your insufferable attitude down perfectly,” he muttered. He put a hand to Tony’s arm, pushing him away. “Now go, we don’t have time to waste. He’s bound to see through this sooner rather than later.”

Tony didn’t need to be told twice, taking off before his courage wavered, dashing over to another pile of rocks as Loki’s Tony double continued to dodge and weave out of Thanos’ attacks, mocking and taunting him all the while. Tony had to admit, Loki’s impression of him was down to a T, but he wasn’t sure if it was because Loki had gotten to know him a lot more after he’d gone through so many trials of cycles of Tony’s life, or if it was because Tony and Loki both had a knack for getting beneath their enemies’ skin. He had a strong feeling that it was some kind of combination of the two.

Starting to move again, Tony rolled behind the pillar of stone that was still intact, finding Clint already there, an arrow notched and ready to fly.

“Good to see you’re still up, Katniss” Tony greeted, putting his back to the wall and standing as still as possible to keep from being seen.

“I could say the same thing,” Clint answered, his eyes on Thanos as he let his arrow fly, ducking behind the pillar as well.

Thanos cursed in anger - Clint’s arrow had struck.

“Wow, so no surprise that there’s two of me on the field?” Tony asked as he peeked around the pillar, watching his double slide behind a mound of stone on the other side of Thanos.

“‘Could tell it wasn’t you from a mile away,” Clint said, finally looking at Tony, a smile on his face. “You’re nowhere near that fast.” Tony’s eyes narrowed, but before he could say anything Clint commented, “Loki?”

“Yeah, this is one of his tricks,” Tony admitted. He peeked around again, then turned to Clint. “I’m going to need some cover.”

“What exactly are you trying to do?” Clint asked, pulling another arrow from his quiver.

“The only thing that worked last time,” Tony told him. “I’m taking the stones away.”

* * *

T’Challa dodged out of the way, pressing his hand to his side to try and stop the flow of blood. Okoye bounded in, kicking Killmonger to the side and giving T’Challa a breath of respite.

As soon as N’Jadaka had freed himself, everything had gone to shit. He’d matched all three of them with ease, and, while they were tiring as the fight continued, he seemed to be getting stronger and stronger with each attack.

The spear Shuri had picked up lay on the ground in pieces, the sharp point in Killmonger’s hands - what he’d used to stab T’Challa, tearing through skin and muscle like a hot knife through butter.

Shuri and Okoye were fighting him now, Shuri trying to draw the attacks to her and dodging as best as she could while Okoye was taking the offensive, forcing him to try and defend himself as well. There was a gash on her face, the blood flowing down her cheek and neck, making her furious glare all the more terrifying. Shuri was sporting similar injuries on her arms - cuts and scratches that sent blood flying every time she dodged the speartip, but not enough to impair her movements.

T’Challa took a steadying breath as he pushed off the wall he’d been leaning against, catching sight of his father on the other side of the room. He was watching everything dispassionately, no interest or care on his face whatsoever. A dead man with nothing to lose watching his children deal with the consequences of his actions.

It wasn’t fair, that they had to pay for his mistakes. T’Challa let out a deep breath, eyes still trained on T’Chaka. But right now he was there, with them - they could make him pay.

“Fuck -” Shuri cursed as she stumbled, falling back as Killmonger tripped her up with a strong kick to the knees, effectively snapping T’Challa’s attention to them.

Okoye swung to try and punch him, but he ducked and dodged, elbowing her to the back of the head and sending her to the ground. He tossed the spearhead in the air, catching it with nonchalant ease.

Shuri scrambled back, trying to get to her feet as he lunged for her, just as T’Challa ran towards them.

* * *

“Where are you! Daddy!” the voice cried out.

“Cassie?” Scott whispered, her name a sob in his throat.

Her voice came through again, louder this time. “Daddy, where did you go? Come back!”

Scott felt something in his chest, like a focus, a pull, drawing him towards her. He suddenly remembered clearly how he’d gotten out the first time, remembered using Pym’s tech to get him out.

Patting himself down quickly, Scott rummaged through the pockets on the suit before finally finding what he was looking for - the blue Pym particle disk. His ticket out of there.

Without any sort of hesitation, Scott popped open the regulator cap on his suit, shoving the particle disk inside. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, hoping beyond hope that this was going to work a second time, before pushing the button.

His eyes flew open at the sudden motion, and the spinning colors and flashing lights are almost enough to make him throw up, but he just screwed his eyes shut tighter, feeling himself grow larger with every pulse of light. It felt as if his heart had fallen through his stomach but he didn’t care as Cassie’s voice grew louder and louder.

“Come back, please, please, come back,” she pleaded, each word sounding closer than the last, and then there’s a burst of air, wind whipping around him as Scott fell to the ground. “Daddy!” Cassie shouted, right in front of him now, before a pair of arms wrapped around him.

Scott held her close, popping off his faceplate before hugging her tightly with both arms.

“I love you so much,” she whispered, arms a vice around his neck.

Swallowing around the lump in his throat, Scott buried his face into the side of Cassie’s head, giving her a quick kiss right above her ear. “I love you, too,” he said thickly.

They stayed like that for a few more seconds before Cassie finally pulled away, smiling broadly at her father. Scott gave her a watery smile back, taking her in. He had missed seeing her like this, hated himself for having missed all this time with her, and felt his chest tighten and his throat constrict as he came to grips with his circumstances.

He pulled Cassie back in for another hug, kissing the side of her head one last time. “I love you so, so much, Peanut.”

She gave him a squeeze. “I know,” she said quietly - and while it sounded like Cassie, her voice soft and sweet and childish, Scott knew it wasn’t her.

“I have to go,” he said, voice choked with emotion.

Cassie nodded, pulling away again. She smiled at him, a sad, knowing smile. It’s not his daughter, but he needed to be reminded of her - needed to relive this moment to know that he could do it again, as long as he never lost sight of her.

“You’re my biggest hero,” Cassie grinned. “The bestest ever.” Her expression turned a little more serious, but the spark in her eyes was still there. “Go be a hero, dad.”

Scott nodded, snapping on his helmet all the way. “I’m going back - for her,” he got out.

“She knows,” Cassie answered matter of factly. She stepped away from him, just watching.

Standing, Scott shook himself a little, flashing her a smile that he knows she can’t see beneath the helmet. She smiled back all the same.

He quickly found another particle disk - this time red - and shoved it into the regulator. As he readied himself to press the button, he turned to her. “Catch you on the flip side.”

This made her smile wider. “See you later,” she said, and then Scott pressed the button.

Everything quickly disappeared, the feeling of folding in on himself increasing and repeating itself over and over and over again as Scott shrank, all the while pressing on his comm and trying again and again to contact Hope - telling her to meet him in the quantum realm.

* * *

The Tony double jumped out of the way of the next beam, giving Thanos another cocky grin as he got closer to him. Thanos was livid, his attacks coming faster yet more sloppy, but making him all the more dangerous as he stopped measuring himself. His arm had dark veins popping out all over it, as if his blood were burning from the inside out.

Tony watched from where he lay, crouched low to the ground. He knew what that kind of power did to you, and was glad that that sort of wear was starting to show on Thanos. Loki was right - Thanos wasn’t a god, and that in itself was reassuring because it meant he could be killed. Tony just really hoped this plan wouldn’t get him killed too.

Natasha dashed around from Tony’s left, firing off two blasts from her gun before rolling back to where she’d been. Thanos roared in anger as one hit him in the face, making him stagger in a daze from the lights.

Now was as good a time as any to make a break for it. Tony scrambled up from where he’d been, running straight for Thanos. The Titan had his back to him as he shook his head furiously, wiping his free hand across his face, avoiding doing that with the gauntlet since that could end oh so poorly with the slightest provocation.

Tony was so close, just a half dozen steps away - the gauntlet was down at his side as Thanos continued to hastily clean the blood from his face. He could almost see his reflection in the metal of the gauntlet as he reached out, ready to snatch at least one of the stones away when Thanos sidestepped out of the way.

“I knew it was only a matter of time before someone tried that,” Thanos commented as Tony stumbled forward. He gave him an impressed nod, “Although it is a surprise that it was you, Stark.”

“Did it once, I can do it a-” Tony began, already starting to run away, when Thanos launched his fist at him, catching him right in the center of the chest. There was a resounding crack, the air crushing itself out of his lungs as he flew backwards from the punch. He could see Thanos pointing the stones at him as he was thrown back, and he closed his eyes, knowing what was coming next.

“You infernal -” Thanos cursed, and suddenly Tony felt himself slow down. He cracked open an eye, seeing that he was surrounded by red.

Wanda.

She put him down gently, focusing intently on him before dropping her magic when she saw he was on the ground. He gave her a shaky nod, his hands pressed to his chest as he took shallow breaths, feeling the broken ribs ache with each tiny movement.

Stephen had run up beside Wanda, conjuring a shield between Tony and Thanos and then creating a swarm of glass shards all around the Titan. Thanos was trying to wrestle Stephen’s Cloak of Levitation from where it was wrapped around the gauntlet, angrily tearing at the fabric.

“Now!” Stephen shouted, and the cloak flew away just as the shards all honed in on Thanos, piercing him all over.

Thanos threw his head back and screamed, letting out another burst of purple all around him as he fought off Stephen’s attack.

* * *

Peter took a deep breath, glancing over at Tony and Aunt May. He wanted to tell them he loved them, wanted to tell them that they were the most important people in the world to him. The words were stuck in his throat, right beneath the lump that made it hard to keep from crying. He knew that if he said anything, that if they knew what he was going to do, that they would try and convince him otherwise. Tony would come up with some other idea and spin it in a way that would make Peter believe him; May would plead that there was another way and get Peter to promise that he would make it out.

But Peter knew there wasn’t any other way. Only two people were getting out, or none of them would.

The metal groaned overhead. Peter’s arms shook as he blinked back tears.

Time was not on their side.

He moved his hands a little, grabbing onto each side of the beam. He had to do it right, or he might cause a total collapse. All he needed to do was break the dent that had already formed, and bring everything down onto him. It would get the slab off Tony and the debris off his Aunt, all at the same time. There was still the risk of the collapse, but it was a risk he was willing to take. There wasn’t any other way.

Tears ran down his face as he got ready, taking a deep, steadying breath. He closed his eyes, saying all the things he couldn’t say out loud in his heart. Peter exhaled, and right as he was about to pull down on the beam, he felt a weight in his pants pocket begin to whir and hum to life.

* * *

“Hope - Hope, are you there?” a staticky voice called out from the speakers inside the control room. Her dad.

Feeling tears blur her vision, Hope staggered away from the gate and towards the computers, quickly getting to the mic.

“Dad, can you hear me?” she asked, gripping the microphone tightly, feeling the way she still shook from the rush of the quantum particles.

Static came over the speakers again as Hank’s voice filtered through. “Hope! Oh thank goodness - Hope, I have great news, I found Janet -”

Hope clutched the mic tighter, feeling her throat constrict as relief flooded her chest.

“- we’re on our way, I’ve started the return sequence. It won’t be long now.”

“I-I’ll be waiting,” Hope choked out. “It’s good to hear you - that you’re both safe.”

There was a beat of silence before the static crackled again. “You too, jellybean,” her mom whispered.

Hope slumped against the controls, holding the mic close as she began to cry. Her parents were coming back. She would get to see them again.

She didn’t know how long she stood there before more static cut in. She lifted her head, ready to hear what her parents might have to say when a new voice came through, a voice she recognized.

“-ope! Hope! Please, if you’re listening to this, you have to come find me! We have to get out of here!” Scott shouted. “Hope, we have to go!”

* * *

Tony slowly dragged himself along the ground, not finding the strength to stand as Thanos shattered the shards and glass, turning it into fine powder before sending it flying everywhere. Stephen gasped, staggered back as blood stained his robes. The shield flickered but stayed firm, blocking anything from getting to Tony.

Wanda hissed in pain beside Stephen, tucking her hands to her chest from where they’d been covering her face. The ground all around them was coated in powdered glass, sharp enough to draw blood but not enough to cause tideturning damage.

Thanos had cuts and scratches all over his arms and face, the blood oozing out slowly. He leveled Stephen and Wanda a harsh glare, taking a menacing step towards them when gunfire sounded, hitting him in the back and pinging off his armor uselessly.

It was enough to catch his attention however, as Rocket and Groot charged out, spraying him with bullets. Thanos merely blocked with the gauntlet, shaking his head at their weak attempt - not noticing Mantis creeping up from behind, following Tony’s lead.

* * *

Sam flew over Rhodey, heading straight for the rocket.

“What are you doing?” Rhodey shouted, but Sam didn’t have time to answer. He had one shot at this, just one shot or he’d certainly die.

The rocket raced towards them as he flew to meet it halfway. It had to be timed perfectly, it had to, it just -

He unclipped himself from his wings, letting himself fall to the ground and roll out of the way as an explosion burst over head. His speed had made him fall past where the explosion went off, but he still hit the ground with a painful and stomach-turning crash, his arms and legs taking the brunt of the damage as he’d tucked into a little ball to keep the most vulnerable parts of him safe. He could taste blood in his mouth, and he was sure he’d rubbed his arm bloody on the ground as he rolled. He wouldn’t be surprised if he had broken half the bones in his body.

Just as he was beginning to slow down in his rolling, he felt something wrap around him and lift him up.

“You absolute fucking idiot,” Rhodey seethed. “You could have gotten yourself killed.”

“Could have,” Sam croaked out, spitting up blood onto War Machine’s chest plate. “At least I had a chance of survival - if you went in you definitely would have died. Besides, ‘s just my wings.”

Rhodey shook his head, flying them both quickly back to the car, tearing the door off it's hinges as he dropped Sam inside unceremoniously.

Maria turned to him with wide eyes. “Wilson, what the fuck were you thinking?”

“Not you too,” he groaned, letting his head fall back on seat, every single bone in his body protesting at the motion.

Fury glanced back at him, giving him a curt nod. “He was buying us time, Agent Hill.” He could feel his foot hit the floor with how hard he was pressing on the accelerator. “And every single second counts.”

* * *

Steve staggered to his feet, wobbling where he stood as he lifted his hands up, palms out towards the Winter Soldier. Bucky’s words burned in Steve’s head, making it hard to breathe, hard to focus, hard to think - but he knew what he had to do.

He should have done it as soon as he had come back. He should have said it over and over and over again until he ran out of breath and his heart pounded out of his chest and into Bucky’s hands. He should have said it, should have done something about it, but now - now he knew what he had to say.

“I’m sorry, Bucky,” he whispered, wiping the blood from his mouth. “I’m so sorry.”

The Winter Soldier took a defensive stance, following Steve with his eyes, waiting, watching, coming up with how to attack.

“You - I should have never left, should have never left  _ you _ ,” he said, stepping towards the Soldier. “You’re it for me, Bucky. You’re my endgame.”

There was a glint of silver as the Winter Soldier’s dagger flashed under the fluorescent lights, deadly and menacing. Steve couldn’t focus on that, his eyes on the Soldier’s face, looking for Bucky beneath the mask.

“Everywhere I go, every _ time _ I go, you’re the one I’ve been chasing,” Steve got out, taking another step,

“But, Peg-” Bucky choked out, surfacing for a second before getting pulled under again.

Steve shook his head. “I was wrong - I was so,  _ so  _ wrong.” He swallowed past his nerves, trying to keep his hands steady. “All I could think of, was you.”

Bucky shook his head, the movement stiff and jerky, almost painful looking as he fought for control of his body. His eyes brimmed with tears. “Why?” he ground out through gritted teeth. His eyes were Bucky’s, but they were terrified, worried and panicked, caged in his own body.

“Because,” Steve said softly, honestly. “I love you.”

The Winter Soldier lunged.

* * *

Thanos swept his hand out in front of him, throwing Rocket and Groot back just in time to whirl around and catch Stormbreaker before it impaled him. He grimaced as it was ripped from his grasp, flying back to Thor as the god of thunder attacked.

He hacked and swung with his axe, getting parried and deflected and hit back with the gauntlet and the stones. Thor didn’t seem to tire, rallying more with every blow even as Thanos barely took any damage.

Thor swung, aiming to cut off his arm as Thanos dodged out of the way, letting the axe slam into the ground, digging in almost half a foot into the stone. Thanos brought his boot over the axe, pulling back to punch Thor and separate him from his weapon when he felt a cool touch to his arm, bringing him to a standstill.

“I can’t hold him for long,” Mantis gasped, her antennae glowing brightly as she focused her power on Thanos. “The stones are fighting back.”

There was a roar from behind Thor as Thor tore Stormbreaker from the ground. Hulk thundered forward, watching as Mantis’ antennae flickered, her power starting to give against Thanos and the stones. Her eyes flew open as Thanos backhanded her away, blinking rapidly to get rid of the lingering effects of Mantis’ empathic ability. He growled, turning on Mantis as Hulk rammed into him, scooping a handful of glass dust and throwing it into his eyes.

Thanos choked out a shout, stumbling backward from the pain that burst in his eyes and Hulk body slamming him. Hulk threw himself at him, taking them both over the edge, kicking and punching and pummeling each other as they fell off the cliff.

* * *

He lunged, slashing at Steve with his dagger. Steve caught the dagger by the blade, slicing his hand open as he gripped it tightly.

“That’s why, Bucky,” he breathed, straining from the pain and from the exertion of keeping him still. “I’ve been running and running, when all I’ve been looking for is you.” He let the dagger slide across his skin, cutting deeper as he grabbed the Winter Soldier’s wrist, holding on tightly. “All I had to do was stay, but I-I was scared.” He swallowed down his tears. “But I’m not anymore, Buck. I love you, so much. So, so much.”

The Winter Soldier met his gaze, fury and heartbreak and panic flashing in his eyes as he dropped the dagger into his other hand. It fell from his fingers, scarlet and silver blurring in the air as the Winter Soldier caught it.

Steve immediately grabbed his other hand, fighting him as he tried to stab him. He kept his eyes directly on him, trying to convey with one look a whole lifetime’s worth of feelings. “I love you, Bucky,” he said softly. “ - and I’m with you til the end of the line, even if it means you have to kill me.”

His face softened, softened from the harsh scowl of the Winter Soldier and to the gentle curves of Bucky’s face. He surged forward, and Steve let him, feeling the dagger pierce the skin of his stomach as warm lips pressed to his.

* * *

“Missiles back online!” Rhodey called out, quickly turning his attention to the hangar doors.

“About damn time,” Fury shot back. “It’ll make getting into this place way easier.”

Rhodey shot off a missile, watching the doors get blown off their hinges as he swung his arm back, discharging the rest of his missiles into Rumlow’s car.

“They shouldn’t be following us after that, Colonel Rhodes,” Agent Hill grinned from where she was looking out her window. He even saw Sam give him a shaky thumbs up.

It was a straight shot to the Avengers Quinjets once they got past the doors. They raced past, coming to a screeching halt in front of them, with Maria bolting out as soon as they’d come to a stop, running to start getting the quinjet going while Fury climbed out, arm still bleeding. Rhodey jumped off the car, leaning in and pulling Sam out.

“Glad they didn’t think to immediately block our credentials,” Maria commented, bypassing all the security restrictions as the quinjet powered on.

Fury strode forward, watching as the quinjet opened up. “That’s something only we’d think to do as soon as shit hit the fan,” Fury pointed out, more than ready to get away from his failed agency and meet up with the rest of his team, wherever they were.

* * *

Quill crawled over to the edge, picking himself up unsteadily. His neck was bleeding, the burn from the stones cracking the skin there, making it hard to breathe. He looked down, watched as Thanos and Hulk tumbled and rolled down the side of the cliff.

Drax let out another war cry as he raced over the edge as well, chasing the carnage, Stephen and Wanda at his heels. Thor flew past with his axe, Rocket and Groot in his grasp, screaming loudly. Mantis followed on unsteady legs, but with a look of unshakeable determination in her eyes, Loki teleporting past her, staggering to catch himself after every jump. Quill watched as at the bottom of the cliff, a lone figure came to a stop, pulling out a pair of daggers from her belt.

His heart dropped to his ankles.

“Gamora,” Nebula confirmed, coming to stand beside him. She gave him a curt nod, seeing her expression mirrored in his before she began running down the cliffside.

* * *

The gate shuddered, dimming slightly before the quantum pod erupted out of it, sliding to a stop on it's rails. Hope ran out of the control room, quickly making her way to the pod as it let out a hiss, opening up.

Hank came out first, holding onto the hand she extended to him as he steadied himself. He gave her hand a squeeze, pride in his eyes.

“Jellybean,” Janet said as she came out of the pod, tears in her eyes.

Hope immediately pulled her into a tight hug, crying in earnest. “I thought I’d never see you again.”

Janet held her close, kissing her temple fiercely. “I knew you’d find us.” She looked down, seeing what Hope was wearing, her smile growing soft. “I know you’ll find him, too.”

“Y-yeah,” Hope nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. “I’ll find my way back to you again,” she assured them.

Hank took Janet’s hand, stepping away from the pod as Hope climbed inside. “We know you will, Hope. We’ve always believed in you.”

“Now go out there and show them what you’re made of,” Janet grinned, the look in her eyes matching Hank’s.

Hope gave them a watery smile as the pod closed up, resolutely turning to the pod as she clicked on switches and adjusted coordinates and quantum readings. Out of the corner of her eye she could see her mom and dad step into the control room, starting up the sequence.

She closed her eyes, feeling as the pod rocketed off, and by the time she opened them again, she was hurtling into the unknown, heading to her partner in crime.

* * *

His pocket grew warm, and as he glanced down, he saw that it was shining, the light coming through muted against his pants. Peter took a shuddering breath.

It was Tony’s Bleeding Edge - with all the nanoparticles inside that could quickly turn into the suit. He glanced over at Tony who was still struggling beneath the weight of everything, his breathing labored.

He turned to his Aunt May, seeing her in similar straits. His plan, while the best thing at the moment, still had the risk of going wrong and crushing everyone. But now, with the Bleeding Edge - that changed everything. All he had to do was get the armor to Tony.

All he had to do was get it to him - he could let go of the beam for just a second, throw it up on May’s side to make sure she wasn’t hurt. The armor would be on him in the blink of an eye, keeping Tony safe from the debris that came down, and Peter -

Well, he’d had buildings dropped on him before, after all. He was sure he could make it out of another one, with Tony’s help.

Peter gripped the beam tightly, closing his eyes as he psyched himself up. Before he lost any of his courage he pushed the beam up on May’s side, falling backwards towards Tony, his hand immediately pulling the Bleeding Edge out of his pocket. He blindly reached behind him, finding Tony and pressing the armor’s core to his chest, right as everything collapsed on top of them.

* * *

Tony took a deep, agonizing breath, leaning against a pile of rocks. He could hear the battle waging on at the bottom of the cliff, could hear the screams and shouts of everyone that had already rushed down. He wanted to go and help as well, but right now he was more of a liability than any kind of help. He was bruised and bloody and most definitely broken in multiple places.

He let his head fall against the stone, closing his eyes. They were so, so close.

Out of nowhere, he felt something press against his chest, a familiar shape and warmth that started spreading all over. He opened his eyes, seeing the shaky hand that was holding the Bleeding Edge to him. Tony grabbed onto the arm without hesitation. They’d been through it before.

“Mr. Stark?” Peter gasped as he fell forward, looking up at Tony with wide eyes, awe and relief and confusion on his face. “B-but - the building, and you - it fell -!”

Tony pulled Peter into a crushing hug, knowing what he must have gone through, knowing what kind of hell the stone had made Peter live out.

Peter wrapped his arms around Tony too, holding him tight. “You were right - you said you were always going to be here to rescue me,” Peter got out shakily.

“You saved me today, kid,” Tony said thickly, tears coming easily when he had his boy in his arms. He blinked them back though, knowing they would have time for tears and hugs and everything after they ended this. He pulled back, clapping a hand to Peter’s shoulder. His suit had completely wrapped around him, settling itself perfectly. “Ready to finish this off?”

“Yeah,” Peter nodded, face set in determination. He glanced down quickly, giving a sigh of relief when he realized he was in his suit as well. He gave Tony a small shrug. “I wasn’t wearing this back there.”

“It's all about handicapping us here,” Tony grumbled as his faceplate came up. “Now, hold on.”

Peter grabbed on tight, his own mask coming over his face as Tony took to the skies, heading straight for the battle.

* * *

Scott drifted along aimlessly, talking into his comm every few minutes. He had to believe Hope had heard him, he knew that they had to get out together. Now all he was trying to do was give her a steady signal to follow.

Just as he was giving up hope, he can make out a rough shape in the distance, something getting closer, growing larger as it makes its way towards him. Scott hopes it's not one of the tiny microbes that swim around the realm - he wasn’t sure how he would handle one of those in a fight. But his worry quickly dissipates as he recognizes the pod, feeling a surge of relief flood through him that’s so strong it brings tears to his eyes.

The pod opens up, making room for him. “Need a lift?” Hope asks, her helmet muffling her voice.

Scott would kiss her, if he could. He climbs in without a second thought, immediately starting to find the nearest time portal. “We just need to find out, it’ll take us where he need to go,” he explained.

“How can you be so sure?” Hope asked, going through the process herself, both scouring different parts of the quantum realm in their search.

“I just,” Scott began. He thought of Cassie, the real Cassie, waiting for him back home. “I just know.”

Hope nodded, tapping at something on her screen. “With everything that’s going on, that’s good enough for me,” Hope told him. “I just found one, so strap in, because we’re not sure where this place where we ‘need to go’ even is.”

“Yeah,” Scott grimaced, before rallying against his apprehension. “But we’re going to pull through - we always do.”

“You’re right,” Hope agreed, giving him a soft smile. She turned back to the controls, setting their course. “Now, let's get out of here.”

* * *

T’Challa tackled Killmonger, rolling around on the floor with him as they fought over the speartip. Okoye had joined in as well, jumping on Killmonger’s back and trying to put him in a chokehold.

He got up from where T’Challa was still on the ground, taking quick steps backward until he slammed Okoye to the wall. She groaned in pain as he did it again and again, forcing her to loosen her grip as she gasped for breath, letting him slip from her grasp.

Killmonger glowered at T’Challa as T’Challa pulled himself up, pausing for only a second before charging at him. Shuri ducked past him, tripping him up by using the same kick that he’d used on her before, sending him sprawling to the ground. The speartip clattered loudly as it skittered across the room.

T’Challa dove for it, scooping it up quickly as he turned, seeing the way his father was watching everything.

“Brother, we need to end this!” Shuri cried out as Killmonger staggered to his feet, a snarl on his lips.

“I know,” T’Challa nodded, turning away from Killmonger and rushing at his father, coming to stand directly before him, the speartip pressed to his exposed throat. “You’re the one who did this - so you’re the one we have to end.”

* * *

“Hey, Doctor Strange!” a familiar voice called out, right from above him.

Stephen glanced up in time to watch the Iron Spider drop to the ground, iron appendages out and ready to attack as Peter surveyed the fight. Iron Man came to hover beside Stephen, the face plate sliding off to show Tony’s beaten but grinning face.

“You have your suit back,” Stephen noted, fighting the urge to smile himself.

“All thanks to the kid, here,” Tony admitted, nodding at Peter.

“Told you I’d be useful!” Peter shouted, giving Stephen a small salute over his shoulder as he raced in behind Nebula.

Tony watched him go with a fondly proud expression on his face before he turned to Stephen. “Time to do what you do best, Strange.”

Although Stephen knew what he was going to say, he still found himself asking, “And that is?”

The confident grin was back in full force. “Time to make some portals.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yooooo so what'd y'all think? Deadass as soon as I started writing the scene with Tony and Peter all I could hear was the Avengers theme in my head, like it started playing on loop
> 
> and fucking Steve and Bucky finally getting somewhere, Steve needed to get his head out of his ass, the stupid ass punk, he was pining so hard its about damn time
> 
> anyway, I'll be back as soon as I can with the next chapter, I really hope you guys liked this! thank you so much for reading, it means so so much to me! Comments and kudos give me strength in these trying times as I work to get our children home


	16. Violet Skies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final battle - this is the endgame, their redemption.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so so so so so sorry it's taken me a while to come back because of a bunch of reasons, but I'm here, procrastinating writing my finals essays and studying for finals, I'm here and we're reaching the end!
> 
> this chapter was honestly really hard to write because i really struggle with fight sequences but guess fucking what in the whole final scene, just know that I was playing the avengers theme on fucking loop babes
> 
> I really hope you guys like it!

T’Chaka stared down at the speartip, turning his eyes to his son. The looming shadow hung threateningly overhead, but time seemed to be suspended.

“Why didn’t you bring the boy home?” T’Challa asked, voice barely above a whisper. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes. “Why, Baba?”

“He -” T’Chaka started, as the darkness faltered. “He was the truth I chose to omit.”

T’Challa breathed heavily, not swaying in his stance. “You were wrong to abandon him.”

“I chose my people,” T’Chaka countered and the shadow expanded, overtaking the entirety of the ceiling, hanging like threads ready to pull them in. “I chose Wakanda.”

The shadow dripped down the ceiling, covering the walls.

T’Chaka’s voice grew stronger. “Our future depended -”

“You were wrong!” T’Challa shouted, pointing the spear accusingly at his father. Not moving for the kill, but not wavering in his resolve. “All of you were wrong!” he said, extending his free hand angrily. “To turn your backs on the rest of the world!”

He slowly lowered the speartip, looking down at it. “No more,” T’Challa whispered, tossing it to the side. “I cannot follow you blindly - I cannot do as you want because it is wrong.” He pointed at N’Jadaka, shaking his head. “He is a monster of our own making. I must make sure something like this never happens again - I must! I must right these wrongs, Baba.”

They stared at each other, the silence almost unbearable, but then, the shadow flew back, as if getting vacuumed out of the air. The sneer and the cold look and the hooked hands were gone - T’Chaka looked like his old self, the kind man that both Shuri and T’Challa looked up to.

His smile was soft. “You’re a good man,” T’Chaka said, and now a new shadow coalesces above him, towering over him, but it's familiar - welcome. “With a good heart,” he continued as Bast stood over him. “And it’s hard for a good man to be king. You’ve struggled, T’Challa, but you’ve surrounded yourself with people you trust,” T’Chaka gestured at Shuri, and at Okoye. “My brilliant daughter, and our brave general - and so many others, new and familiar, that will help you. I am proud of you, my son.” And then he looked past him, looked at Shuri as he bowed his head, “And I am so, so proud of you, Shuri.”

Shuri crossed the room in a rush, throwing her arms around her father. “I love you so much, Baba. I’ve missed you so much.”

He hugged her tightly, and when T’Challa wrapped his arms around both of them, T’Chaka hummed happily. “You are both my biggest pride and joy, and together you will lead Wakanda better than I ever could have.”

When he pulled away, it felt like much too soon. “But I must be going now,” he said, stepping back, into Bast’s shadow. “We all must be going.” Bast inclines her head, and there’s a purple shimmer in her core, and T’Challa knows that’s the way to the Ancestral Plane.

N’Jadaka walks past them, giving them a nod of acknowledgement, before disappearing into the purple light.

“I believe in you,” T’Chaka reminded them. “Do not ever forget how much I love you.” And he disappeared as well.

The shimmer in Bast shifted, turning from purple to gold, and it expanded, growing and growing until a familiar portal was sitting in Bast’s chest. The goddess looked at each of them, nodding once, both a blessing and encouragement.

Okoye stepped up to the siblings, wiping the tears off her eyes. “It seems we have one more battle to fight.”

“With you on our side, General, we are sure to win,” T’Challa smiled, and although he knows there’s tears running down his face as well, he doesn’t bother trying to hide them.

Shuri nodded, breaking away from the two, ready to cross over. “Let’s make Baba proud.”

* * *

As they raced towards the portal that had appeared on their censors, they knew that beyond a shadow of a doubt that it would take them where they needed to go - especially when they saw the orange shimmer running around the portal.

“Looks like Strange got us a ticket out of here,” Hope grinned, reconfirming their trajectory as they got closer. “Even though this isn’t usually how this works, I’ve got no complaints about this.”

Thirty seconds, twenty seconds, ten seconds - and they would be through.

“Well, in any case, we might as well make an entrance,” Scott shot back, already punching in the enlargement sequence as they flew through the portal, out of the quantum realm and into the desolate wasteland where the battle waged fiercely.

* * *

The kiss was soft and gentle and lasted only a heartbeat, but it was their own little eternity, all the unspoken words falling together even as they pulled away.

“Steve?” Bucky breathed, face flushed and eyes hopeful as he took in Steve.

“Yeah,” Steve smiled, staggering against Bucky. “It’s me, Buck.”

Bucky let him lean his weight against him, but gasped as he realized he was still holding the dagger that was in Steve’s stomach. “Oh my God, Steve,” he got out, letting go of the dagger as his hands flew to wrap around Steve, to hold him upright.

“It’s alright, pal, it’s alright,” Steve reassured, wincing as he took a hold of the dagger and pulled it out. It clattered to the ground loudly as Steve pulled Bucky into a tight hug. “‘M never letting go of you again.” He swallowed over the lump in his throat. “I love you so much.”

“You’re bleeding out and that’s all you can say,” Bucky said, voice thick. He buried his face in the crook of Steve’s neck. “I was so scared I was gonna kill you, Steve - you weren’t even fighting back.”

“I’m fine though, aren’t I?” Steve smiled, leaning his head against Bucky’s. “I knew what I was doing.”

Bucky pulled back, eyes shiny with tears, to give Steve a stern look. “You have too much fucking faith in me, you know that?”

“Never gonna stop having faith in you,” Steve said honestly. “You’re the one person I never stopped believing in, no matter what.”

Ducking his head, Bucky hugged Steve tightly again. “I know,” he whispered.

They stayed like that for a beat, simply holding each other, before they finally heard the commotion and the shouts and roars coming from nearby. Slowly pulling apart, they noticed that a portal had appeared in the wall beside them, the orange sparks flying along the edges. They could see a flurry of green and could hear the spray of bullets.

“Guess we weren’t gonna get off the hook this easily,” Bucky sighed, rolling his shoulders as he watched the fray. He glanced over at Steve. “Would you sit this one out if I asked you to?”

Steve gave him a sheepish smile. “You know me, Buck. I don’t like bullies and I don’t know when to stop - and Thanos is the biggest asshole that’s ever existed.”

Bucky shook his head, letting Steve lean on him as they crossed through the portal. “I expected as much.” He patted Steve on the back, feeling the new addition of the shield strapped there. “You’ve had this the whole time?” he asked, knocking his knuckles on the shield.

“No,” Steve answered honestly as he limped onto Titan with Bucky’s help. “But I guess I’ve earned it again.”

* * *

It wasn’t hard to get the quinjet up and running, and with the doors blown off the hangar it wasn’t going to be hard to get it out. The glowing portal that appeared in the center of the hangar though - now that was something new.

“Do we go through it?” Sam asked as Maria began to move the quinjet.

Maria glanced at him over her shoulder. “It’s one of Strange’s, so I think we should.” When no one objected, she piloted the jet forward, giving it a bit of speed as it crossed through.

The hangar disappeared into a landscape of red clay and dirt, and in the distance they could see a dust cloud kicking up, along with a few bursts of color that shot through the fray.

“Mother fucker, this guy again?” Fury swore as there was an explosion of purple light that left Thanos alone in the epicenter of it all.

“How many times do we have to kill him?” Rhodey got out, shaking his head. “He’s already died twice!”

Agent Hill pushed on the quinjet’s wheel, sending it flying towards the fight. “Third times a charm, right?” she said. She pointed at the other seats in the back, the ones that she knew had seatbelts for whenever there was turbulence in the air. “Now get strapped in, because this is about to get real bumpy.”

* * *

Gamora rolled to her feet after she landed, trying her best to keep from getting too hurt after getting thrown back by the Power Stone. The Hulk landed about a dozen feet away from her and was also getting to his feet, shaking the dirt and dust out of his eyes as he growled angrily.

Nebula had been thrown in the other direction, and while she had already jumped to her feet, she was running away - something completely uncharacteristic of her. Gamora turned to see what she was running from.

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Gamora shouted, running towards Mantis who was still sprawled out on the ground and picking her up with ease, sprinting off in the opposite direction as  _ another _ ship barrled straight for them. This one was smaller than the one that Thor, Loki, and the Hulk had been on, but it would still be a deadly impact for almost anyone there.

There were more people running and screaming, shooting for cover and ducking out of the way as the ship whipped through the air. Gamora glanced over her shoulder, watching Thanos as his eyes widened and he threw his hands up in front of him to ward off the crash.

Metal screamed and sparks flew as Thanos carved the ship in half, slicing through with the power of the gauntlet. He staggered back, the exertion and the unexpectedness of it catching him off guard, but not enough to make him fall.

The next ship, however, managed to do the trick.

From seemingly out of nowhere an even smaller pod burst through the air, growing and expanding into it's full size as it struck Thanos from the side, sending him to the ground as the pod sailed another dozen yards before finally crashing into the ground and skidding to a halt.

There was only a brief moment to contemplate what happened, just a second, before everyone bounded forward - this was their chance.

“Right where we want him!” Quill whooped as he ran forward, shooting with everything he had.

Thor flew past, striking down with Stormbreaker. Thanos rolled out of the way, but not fast enough as Thor caught him in the shoulder, slicing partway through the muscle there as Thanos tore away. “Today will be your end,” Thor growled.

Thanos sneered at him as he pulled himself up quickly, moving the Stones in Thor’s direction before twin daggers came his way, one nicking the gauntlet while the other caught his eye.

“AGH!” Thanos bellowed in pain, his hand going to cover the blood that was gushing from the socket.

“Daggers and magic tricks, always my thing,” Loki smirked, disappearing in a shimmer of green as Thanos angrily shot the power of the stones in his direction.

Thor swung again, but Thanos ducked, injured and growing desperate, but still focused enough on his surroundings to know what to do. He threw a punch at Thor, using the power stone to send him flying.

The black veins on his arm continued to crawl upwards, reaching almost past his shoulder.

Gamora saw as Thor flew past overhead before he crashed into a mound of stones. “I keep forgetting that that’s Thor,” she said to herself as she put Mantis down.

“Yeah, yeah, get it all outta your system now,” Rocket quipped, running past her with Groot. “The last five years have been super rough on him.” He glanced over his shoulder, raising his blaster high. “Good to have you back though, Gamora! We’ve fucking missed you!”

“I am Groot!” Groot readily agreed, picking Rocket up and putting him on his back as they charged forward.

Fury and Agent Hill and Shuri joined Rocket and Groot and Clint as the artillery, shooting at Thanos from afar and being enough of a distraction to give the others cover. Mantis staggered to her feet, rushing over to add to the firepower behind Quill’s shots as Gamora ran to get closer.

Peter skittered over on the Iron Spider’s legs, crawling quickly over the rocks and debris of the broken ships. He ducked beneath a blast from the stones, sending a web shot right to Thanos face.

“What are you going to do, child? Drag me to you and fly towards your doom?” Thanos shouted as he began to yank on the webs.

“Just finishing what Mr. Loki started!” Peter yelled back, before saying, “Now, Karen!”

The webbing on Thanos face crackled with electricity, lighting up his Electric Shot, effectively blinding him with the light - at least for the moment.

Nebula dodged in, shooting Thanos point blank before running out of rounds and quickly jumping back out, knowing that weaving in and out was the safest route to take.

Tony flew past, shooting two rays at Thanos as Wanda ran up, thrusting her hands down and sending a column of red tearing through the ground before it erupted around Thanos.

He screamed as he burned, staggering out of the red with his armor melting off in areas and parts of his body charred and dark. The darkness of his veins mingled with his burned skin. “You will not stop me!” he shouted, erupting into a multicolored blast that raced towards everyone.

Wanda raised her hands as Stephen came up beside her, with the Scarlet Witch using her power to reduce the radius of the explosion while Doctor Strange siphoned the destructive power of the stones into the Mirror Dimension where it would harmlessly disperse.

The Hulk rushed in along with Drax and Rhodey as soon as the colors faded, ensuring that the first thing Thanos saw again with his remaining eye was the Hulk’s giant fist and Drax’s twin blades. The Hulk’s blow knocked Thanos to one knee while Drax’s swords carved into his torso and Rhodey shot beams from the suit, but with a sweep of the stones he sent them flying again, far enough to give him breathing room. He spat up blood, looking around wildly at the next threat.

“On your left!” Sam shouted, coming around and kicking Thanos in the face.

“You absolute -” Thanos growled, reaching out and grabbing Sam’s leg, but not before he disappeared into thin air, only to be replaced by Ant-Man and the Wasp growing right in front of him and unloading a clip into his chest.

“No one beats the Falcon but me!” Scott grinned before he and Hope disappeared again, shrinking and zooming away.

An arrow caught Thanos in the back of the head, cutting a gouge in the fleshy skin. He whipped around to see Clint giving him a cocky smirk as he felt someone climb up his back and put him in a headlock, cutting off his air.

Natasha breathed heavily as she strained against his strength, barely managing to stall him before he threw her off of him. She landed on her feet, kicking up dust and throwing her hand in the air, a blue Pym Particle disk in her hand. It exploded in her grip as Sam appeared again, flying away with her.

“You will not escape! I am inevitable!” Thanos shrieked, before getting knocked to the side by Steve’s shield.

Thanos picked it up and lobbed it back at him, but it was caught by Bucky with ease, who gave it back to Steve as they continued charging in, with T’Challa and Okoye right behind them.

“The Star Spangled Banner finally arrived!” Tony cheered, flying in again as Steve dodged a blow from Thanos and punched him in the face.

“Tony?” Steve called out, sparing him a quick glance before his face broke into a giant smile. “Oh my God, Tony! You’re here!”

“Do not get distracted, Captain,” Okoye snapped as she parried a backhanded punch from Thanos. “We will all have -” she ducked beneath his legs, stabbing him in the back of the knee, “- time for proper reunions.”

T’Challa dug his claws into Thanos shoulder, shouting, “The gauntlet! Get the gauntlet!”

Bucky rushed over to grab it, pulling with all his might as Tony dropped down beside him, getting the suit to bring out his reverse thrusters as he grabbed on with Bucky and they pulled.

The whistling in the air and the crack of thunder was the only warning they had as Stormbreaker whipped past them, severing Thanos arm from above the elbow, spraying Tony and Bucky and Steve in the Titan’s blood.

Tony flew back from the force of the thrusters, clutching tightly to the gauntlet and Thanos’ severed arm.

In a rage, the Titan punched Okoye away, before kicking Steve and Bucky further back and grabbing onto T’Challa and throwing him. He staggered forward, catching himself with his remaining hand as the stump of his arm bled out.

The Hulk huffed out angrily, moving to rush Thanos again, but Thor put out an arm, stopping him in his tracks with a shake of the head.

Quiet settled over the rest of the battlefield as Thanos raged where he knelt, breathing heavily and cursing and shouting at all of them. Slowly, Gamora and Nebula broke away from the rest of the group, making their way towards the Mad Titan.

He shook his head when he saw them, giving them a bloody sneer. “My daughters, come to do me in?”

Gamora’s hands twitched at her side as she growled, “We’re not your daughters.”

Thanos huffed out the ghost of a laugh. “Denying what is true won’t change it. Just as you turned on me, so will your loved ones turn on you.”

“They won’t,” Nebula said quietly, looking down.

“ _ You _ think they won’t?” Thanos asked, shaking his head. “Of the both of you, I would have thought you would have seen the truth in that.”

“All you’ve ever said are lies,” Nebula shot back. “These people care about us,  _ really _ care. Unlike you.”

His eye flashed as the other socket still streamed blood down his face. “I raised you both, I created you both.” He spat blood onto the ground at their feet. “You’re both  _ monsters _ \- and while one of you is at least useful, the machine has been nothing but a fail-”

Gamora’s dagger caught Thanos beneath the chin, stabbing through his lower jaw and pinning his tongue to the roof of his mouth as Nebula took her own dagger and stabbed Thanos in the chest, in a chink that had torn through the armor during the fight.

It sank in easily, and as she pressed her weight onto it, staring into his eye, she said, “And here I stand, successful in the only thing that’s ever mattered to me - killing you.”

Thanos choked on his blood, the sound gurgling in his throat before he fell back, collapsing in a plume of dust.

Nebula staggered towards her sister, leaning into Gamora and taking her hands between hers, their relief unspoken as they stared at Thanos’ body.

No one spoke as the realization settled over them - it was over.

The dust storm that was waging around them finally settled, the sky softening to a soft violet.

“Very well done,” someone clapped from behind them. “Brilliantly done. An excellent display of the worth of the Avengers.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> honestly, y'all ever remember how dirty endgame did Thor? Because I do and it makes me want to fight
> 
> but hey, they all did fucking great, and our girls got to fucking end that monster, as it should have been, and now all that's left is to see how this wraps up!
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who has been so patient with me and has been with me throughout this wild journey! All your support has made this so much fun, and when we reach the end I promise it'll all be worth it!
> 
> I love you all so much! I really hope you guys liked this! I worked so hard on this chapter and I hope it shows! Comments and kudos make my life, thank you guys so much and see you soon!


	17. The Cusp of Daybreak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They walk towards the light, leaving the darkness behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm back quick as I could loves! Here's the second to last chapter of this arc! It's really short but after all the fighting and such, a breather and a few words is more than enough as things wind down for our heroes!
> 
> I really hope you guys like it!

“It's you again,” Tony breathed, still holding on tightly to the gauntlet when he saw the being of light strolling up through the group.

“Me again,” the light nodded. “And I have to say, I’m impressed. Getting through the Space, Power, and Time trials took a bit of work, but once you were all in the Mind and Reality trials you got through much quicker than I expected.” They came to stand right before Thanos’ body, as if admiring everyone’s handiwork. “But conquering your fears in the Soul trial, now that’s what I was really looking forward to.” The being turned away, looking back at everyone, and Thanos and the gauntlet dissolved into starlight, scattering with a light breeze.

“Does that mean this is over?” Shuri got out, peeking out from behind Thor.

“It is over,” the light confirmed. They snapped, and everyone was suddenly surrounded by a wall of light that ran all around them, encompassing the whole area where they stood.

Loki’s eyes flashed as he brandished his daggers again. “This better not be another trick -”

“No trick,” the being assured him. “From now on I’ll leave the tricks to you, Odinson.” They gestured towards the light. “Just walk on through and you can take your ships and go home. You’ve proven your worth and fulfilled your potential.”

“And that’s it? It’s that easy?” Gamora asked suspiciously, holding on tightly to Nebula.

The being let out a tinkling laugh. “That is it, but I don’t think any of you would consider what you’ve gone through as ‘easy’.”

“They’ve got a point,” Natasha shrugged. She looked around at the group. “And I mean, after what we did here, I think we can handle anything.”

“I am Groot,” Groot observed.

“That is awfully optimistic of you,” Rocket agreed with a smile.

“When you’re dead and you see the literal light at the end of the tunnel I think all that’s left is optimism,” Natasha answered. When no one moved towards the wall of light, she sighed, “Guess I’ll set the example.” And she walked through.

Fury and Maria glanced at each other, shrugging before they followed, Clint on their heels as he chased after his best friend.

More people hesitantly filed through, with Steve and Bucky walking hand in hand as Sam watched both of them with a smile, nudging Scott who cheered as Hope shook her head with a quiet “about time”. Mantis walked through with Drax and the rest of the Guardians, with Quill waiting to walk through with Gamora, taking her other hand and stepping through the sisters. T’Challa stepped through with Okoye and Shuri, throwing a tired arm around his sister as the general smiled at them fondly. Wanda walked through beside Stephen and Rhodey, with both of them giving Tony a backwards glance, just to reassure themselves he was still there before walking on. Loki was still shooting the light a glare as the Hulk pulled him in along with Thor, and suddenly it was only Peter and Tony left.

Peter glanced up at Tony, giving him a small smile.

“Ready to go home, kid?” Tony asked.

“More than ready, Mr. Stark,” he answered.

As they crossed through, Peter turned back one last time, looking at the being of light.

The light shimmered and for a second Peter saw a kindly old man with white hair and tinted glasses watching them, a soft smile on his lips. “I’m proud of you,” he said, but before Peter could respond he had already gone through.

* * *

Tony hadn’t expected to walk off of Titan and into a party. He glanced down at himself, realizing that he wasn’t wearing his Iron Man armor, and that he was instead in crisp suit, with a name tag stuck on the front of it that read “YOU KNOW WHO I AM”.

It took him a second to start moving, knowing who he was looking for. He passed by people who congratulated him on some speech he’d apparently made, and he knows that when he was really here he’d already been too drunk to remember the speech. Now, more than two decades blur his memory of the event, but he knows the man that gave him his second lease on life is at the party.

He finds Yinsen out on a balcony, overlooking the city of Bern as the New Year rolls in.

“Mr. Stark,” he greeted Tony with a nod.

“Yinsen,” Tony gets out, reaching out but stopping himself, the question caught in his throat.

“You didn’t waste it, Tony,” Yinsen smiled, knowing what Tony wanted to know. “Not a single second of it.”

And now Tony pulled him into a tight hug, tears running down his face. “Thank you for saving it,” he said, voice thick. “I’m sorry I didn’t save you.”

“It’s okay,” Yinsen assured him, returning the hug. “It’s okay, Tony.” He let him go, patting Tony on the arm. “You’ve done wonders with your life. I’m so proud of everything you’ve done with the time you’ve been given.”

“The time you gave me,” Tony reminded him again.

Yinsen nodded, the fond smile still on his face. “Now go, Stark,” Yinsen said, nodding towards the door that led back inside. “Join the living.”

Tony took a step towards the door but paused, looking back at Yinsen.

“I’m happy, Tony,” Yinsen answered, reading Tony’s mind again. “I’m happy with my family. Now you go be happy with yours.”

“Thank you,” Tony got out again, knowing that he would never be able to thank Yinsen enough, knowing that this man’s kindness was what had set his life down the path he was on. “Thank you, for everything.”

“Live a good life, Stark. A full life, with the people you love,” Yinsen said, and he turned back to observe the festivities down in the streets of Bern as Tony stepped through the door, coming out onto a familiar landscape of water and sand, but instead of the orange sky he’d been used to for so long, it was a deep purple, as night gave way to dawn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so first thing's first, the art of Tony and Yinsen hugging in the after life that I saw floating around online a while back by artist Kristina Amuan (@K_Iragana_A on twitter) was what inspired that scene because like that art made me cry when I first saw it y'all and I knew I wanted Tony to hear those words
> 
> ANd how's that for a Stan Lee cameo! He had to be in here guys like he's the reason why we all love these characters so much, so all the love for this man and everything he did. He may be gone but he will never be forgotten
> 
> I really hope you guys liked this chapter! Stay tuned for the last chapter that wraps up this arc as our heroes finally start to go home


	18. Dawn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A breath of relief and an Avengers reunion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's the last chapter of Through the Night! This arc has sure been a trip, but we got through it together!
> 
> I really hope you guys like this last chapter! It's very fluffy and good on the soul, because after the rollercoaster this has been it just felt nice to be soft and sweet

Tony had barely gotten a chance to blink as he stepped onto the familiar water of Vormir when he felt someone pull him into a tight hug.

“Whoa, there, Peter, I’m here, don’t worry,” Tony assured him as he wrapped Peter up in his arms.

“I-I know, but like, this is  _ really _ happening, I just have to make sure,” Peter answered, muffled from where his face was up against Tony’s chestplate.

Swallowing hard to fight back tears, Tony closed his eyes and squeezed Peter tightly. “This is really happening, kid. We’re all going home.”

Another pair of arms wrapped around them, almost crushing Tony despite the suit.

“Fuck, Tony, you didn’t have to go and prove me wrong that hard,” Steve got out, hugging the pair and lifting them both off their feet.

“Not you too, Cap!” Tony groaned, hearing the way Steve’s voice broke towards the end. Peter gave a strangled laugh against Tony. “You’re the one that’s supposed to keep it together for the team.”

“It’s all over, I can afford to let myself get emotional,” he quipped, setting them down and letting go. “It’s just so good to have you back.”

Tony patted Steve on the arm, smiling warmly. “Aw, you really did miss me, didn’t you?”

“He came out of retirement for you,” Bucky added, giving Tony a small nod of greeting, “so I’d say he really, really missed you.”

Steve gave him a halfhearted glare as Tony’s smile grew wider, “And you finally gave retirement a shot too! What a miracle.”

“Yeah, I gave it a shot,” Steve admit with a shrug. “But I’m planning on doing things right this time,” he added, throwing an arm around Bucky’s shoulders as Bucky grew pink and looked away.

“And the miracles continue,” Tony grinned as Stephen joined their little group, patting Tony on the back wordlessly but giving him a soft smile to welcome him back.

Rhodey punched Tony’s arm playfully, also coming up beside him. “You’re lucky I’m too happy that you’re back for me to chew you out for dying.”

“You’ll get around to it,” Tony shrugged, pulling his best friend into a hug as Peter turned to Stephen and excitedly told him about how cool the Mirror Dimension trick was.

Not too far from them Quill was pulling Gamora into a tight hug as well. She smiled past the tears that pricked her eyes. “So are you still going to be my Titan-killing, long-term booty call?”

“Oh, God,” Quill cringed, pulling away but not letting go of Gamora as his hands dropped to hold hers. “I can’t believe I fucking - I really fucking said that! That was one of the last things I said to you! Jesus,  _ why  _ -”

Gamora leaned in and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. “That’s because you’re optimistic. You didn’t think that was the last time you were going to see me.” She squeezed his hand. “And you were right, because here I am, so don’t you ever change.”

A series of vines and twigs suddenly wrapped around Gamora’s middle, pulling her away from Quill and right into Groot.

“I am Groot,” he said, sniffling as he hugged her tightly.

She hugged him back, trying not to cry again. “I missed you too, Groot.”

“It is good to finally have a formidable battle partner again!” Drax grinned, raising a triumphant fist as Gamora laughed. “Quill is weak compared to you and Nebula still does not understand that sparring is not always to the death.”

Nebula rolled her eyes, but the smile tugging on her lips was noticeable as Mantis whispered to her, “Whenever I spar with him I always put him to sleep. Do you think he’s noticed?”

Rocket gave Gamora a quick hug, pulling away after a second and clearing his throat. “You’re - you were the last one missing so that our family could be all together again.” He kicked at the ground, embarrassed of having been so open and honest.

“Oh, come here, you little rat,” Quill sighed, scooping Rocket up and pulling him into the hug that Groot was still giving Gamora as Drax, Mantis, and Nebula fondly watched on.

“Alright, big guy, I really missed you too,” Natasha laughed as the Hulk picked her up in a crushing hug, slowly putting her down as he shrank back to Bruce.

“Don’t ever do that again,” he said, voice muffled against her shoulder. “Clint told me what happened - never again.”

“I’ll fucking come get you again and kick your ass if you ever pull a stunt like that again,” Clint echoed, coming and hugging her from behind, creating a Bruce-Nat-Clint sandwich.

“Not planning on going through that anytime soon,” Natasha promised, pulling away to give Bruce a wide smile as she patted Clint on the head when he stubbornly clung to her like a koala. “Glad to see you’re back to your old self, no more in between.”

“Yeah,” Bruce shrugged, “I definitely feel more comfortable in my own skin again.”

There was a gentle tap on her arm, and Natasha turned to see Sam sheepishly spread his arms in a small gesture for a hug. She complied easily - with Clint coming along too.

“Romanoff,” Fury said quietly, once she had stepped away from Sam. He nodded at her stiffly, his eyes shiny with tears, and Clint let Natasha go as she crossed over and pulled him into a tight hug.

“C’mon, Fury, no need to be so formal,” she teased, managing to sound put together despite the lump in her throat.

“It won’t hurt you to show an emotion other than annoyance, you know,” Maria chimed in, and when Fury sighed loudly Natasha couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“We did a good job,” Thor smiled, turning to his brother as they watched the happy reunions all around.

“I guess we did,” Loki shrugged. They watched as Nebula approached Tony, giving him a hesitant hug, while Okoye patted Natasha on the arm and Shuri and Peter laughed as Natasha asked T’Challa if she was allowed a hug from the king of Wakanda. Scott and Hope got in on the reunions by snagging Tony for a quick hug, and even Wanda joined in before moving on towards Natasha.

“Go on then,” Thor said, nudging Loki’s arm. When Loki only glared at him, Thor shook his head with a sigh. “I know that you’re fond of the group now. Go on and say hello.”

“And what’ll you do, then?” Loki quipped, eyes narrowing.

“Well, I’m going to go say hi to them too!” Thor grinned, dragging his brother over to Gamora and the rest of the guardians.

They were all laughing and joking with each other, the heady relief of having Gamora, Natasha, and Tony back leaving them light and giddy, and as they all started to pile into Starlord’s Milano and T’Challa’s Talon Fighter, they couldn’t wait to finally go home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it folks! They're on their way home! I really hope you guys liked this last chapter!
> 
> I have one final fic that will finish off this Avengers: Redemption series, it'll be a short little epilogue fic where the rest of the reunions and some loose threads will be addressed. I'm still not sure on the title, but it'll probably be about 5 chapters long? I'll get around to it as quickly as I can, but honestly thank you all so much for sticking around and coming on this journey with me! Everyone deserves better than Endgame and I hope this fix-it has helped mend the fucking hole that was left there!
> 
> I love you all so much, and I hope you guys have a happy holiday season and good luck to all of you (us) out there that have finals! If Tony, Natasha, and Gamora were able to come back from the dead, we can all kick ass on our exams!

**Author's Note:**

> eyyyy what'd y'all think? Drop by with a comment and let me know and idk, maybe even drop a few headcanons you might have for where I'm taking this! I really hope you guys liked it and I'm so so excited for everything that's coming, I honestly feel like I can't say it enough! Thank you so so much for reading and I'll see you soon!


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